Harry Potter With Help and the Sorcerer's Stone
by T. H. Enesley
Summary: The responsible adults in Harry Potter's life are acting, well, responsible, most of them, anyhow.  How odd!  They might just avoid a felony conviction.
1. Chapter 1

The responsible adults in Harry Potter's life are acting, well, responsible, most of them, anyhow. How odd! They might just avoid a felony conviction.

**Disclaimer:** Is there anyone who thinks that you own anything that you post on this site? If so, I can work you a good deal on a bridge in Brooklyn.

A/N It's my first attempt on this site. I'll keep this simple. If there is an author's note it will be about the story and important. My writing time will be on the story. No chit chat or begging for reviews. If you want to give a review you are welcome to do so. If it is before the story is complete, I may or may not read it. I will not respond or answer any questions about the story until it is complete. I will look at the number of readers and will assume you are smart enough not to read something you don't like. If that isn't the case, oh well. I'll respond to reasonable reviews, good or bad, when the story is complete. I'm working on chapter 7 so updates will be regular until then. My time is divided between life, reading, practicing, and some writing, so updates will not be regular when I catch up. I hate abandoned stories, but I may find out why they do it. I hope not.

HARRY POTTER WITH HELP AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

by T. H. Endsley

Prologue

Hold on just a darn minute! There are a couple of things that have been bothering me from the start of this series. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the Harry Potter books and have been reading on this site for several years. One thing everyone seems to mis occurs in the second chapter of the first book and it stretches believability to the edge of fatality. Two highly educated professor type persons, both with the care and well being of children their top concern, strolling down the darkened street discussing what is best for a one year old and neither tumbles to the realization that leaving the child on a door step (in a basket, is it) either late October 31 or early November1 or 2 in the damp chilly weather, regardless of the fitness of the potential guardians, is an act of extreme recklessness and endangerment that in the western world would land the perpetrators in jail. The only exception to this would be to leave an unwanted infant in a receiving place at a designated child care facility or the lobby of a police station. Bloody hell, as Ron likes to put it, leaving an infant unattended for any reason in Tennessee is a felony. With the complicity of Hagrid, was it a three way brain cramp or did a bunch of Luna's "raksburgs" organize a successful mass brain fog?

What were they thinking. Did they expect the Dursley's to fall all over themselves with joy for the kid to be left on the stoop like a gallon of milk? Did they expect the Dursley's would think "what a wonderful, caring bunch of folks the wizard types must be to leave a toddler in the open during the cold and damp of an English mid fall?

REWIND PLEASE! Let's examine this situation a bit. I'll grant you, Dumbledore is 150+ years old and has a lot on his plate. Maybe born and educated in the early 1800's this method might not have been so frowned on. After all, I suppose it still happens in some third world countries where law enforcement is week and the value of human life is suspect. I propose an enlighten and educated McGonigal and a bright enough person in Hagrid that your first choice to replace Kettleburn would be someone who's judgement you could "trust with my life." I'll start with that premise and let's see where it takes us. I'll also leave J. K. R.'s first chapter in tact as it provides a good look into the problems the Dursley's may share with many a materialistic family in the late 20th century. I dare say the affliction might just persist even to today, January 1, 2011.

Chapter One

Godricks Hollow

The unmistakable roar of an Indian motorcycle would have been a bit out of place in 1981 England or anywhere else for that matter of fact because they hadn't been built for many years. They were still considered a classic in motorcycle design and performance for muggle bike lovers and Serious Black had discovered the joy and freedom the vehicle provided, not to mention the envious looks other motorcycle enthusiast the machine gathered and the down right adoration his persona exuded when he rode up with the cute muggle girls. Even a fair few witches were prone to make eyes at him and beg for a close up ride on the contraption.

He had found the thing in a garage of and old muggle W. vet he had made friends with as a teen. The two of them spent Summer between 6th and 7th year restoring the machine to its former glory. It was probably the discovery of the fact he was working withe the muggle that became the final straw that caused his mother to throw him out or as Serious preferred to think caused him to have quite enough of the prejudice of his family and leave with all his bag and baggage to go live with the Potters in August. They did finish the work and a masterful job was done as the old guy was quite a spicular for quality and detail. He had come into possession of the machine when shortly after his graduation from Hogwarts the veteran passed away.

It was a bit unusual for the muggle post to leave a letter at his and James' London apartment where they were living as they both were taking Orer training immediately after graduation, so when the solicitor's letter arrived there was more than a little bit of curiosity as to the content. The "first war" had been ratcheting up and Serious had missed the notice of the old man's death.

"Well?" at the indecipherable expression on Serious's face after dropping the letter in his lap, "Good news, or bad?" James asked.

"Remember the old guy I spent so much time with between 6th and 7th year? He had a hart attack and died. It seems he made a will and left his motor bike to me." Replied Serious.

"Oh, wow! Well sorry to hear he died, but that bike is a classic. What you plan to do with it?"

"Gee, I never considered it. Getting around on my broom and by apparition always seemed plenty for me so I never planned of owning a muggle machine. I guess I need to see about being legal with it in the muggle world."

"Yes, that'd be wise. I'm pretty sure I remember something in Muggle Studies about license tags and driver's licenses. There is a motor vehicle government office somewhere around here. I've seen it somewhere recently."

Long story short. After a visit to the solicitor's office, a trip back to the garage, a search in the telephone directory, two weeks of studying the manual, and a very nervous Serious with a no nonsense woman from the testing office, Serious was "street legal."

It caused quite a stir when he rode it to Hogwarts for an Order meeting let me say. Molly was having conniptions over the racket the thing made while Arthur was doing his best to sneak a peek at the breaks. After the meeting Arthur pulled Serious to the side. "Can you bring that bike to the Burrow quietly - just not to disturb the chickens and such - maybe slip it in the shed. I have an idea or two for it that could really be a boost for our side in this war with You Know Who. You know - invisibility, flying, silencing features - stuff like that."

"Sure, Arthur, might even let you have a ride in the side car that came with it in the garage back in London. How about tomorrow night."

"How about Friday evening. Molly is taking the kids over to the Lovegood's place about 5:00 p.m. and it won't disturb her."

"Sure. Friday it is."

After a week's visit in Arthur's shop there were some very interesting additions to the original equipment. An invisibility booster, proved a bit tricky and the silencing feature tended to destabilize the electrical system. However, the flying charm worked like a, well, "charm". And as long as you didn't try accelerating in silent mode and were carrying less than 200 pounds, including the operator, you could coast in fairly easily if you didn't mind a bit of a jar when you landed, "Good thing I'm nod Hagrid's size.' Serious laughed after one particularly teeth rattling silent landing.

This particular night a year or so after acquiring the motor bike, Serious had been riding about the country side on Order business. James and Lilly had gotten married and didn't waist any time making sure the Potter line continued with a very bright and active little boy. And he, joy of joys, was the proud God father. He had been instrumental that night, October 31, 1981, in trapping a pair of low level death eaters in an open area. It seemed a little fishy and a little too easy to be frank about it. So he headed over to Godrick's Hollow to discuss it with James and maybe get a piece of pumpkin pie or a bag of Halloween candy. The Potters were sure to have a little extra. He'd seen the pile of sweets Lilly was gathering for the muggle kids that had so much fun dressing up as witches, warlocks, ghosts and goblins. If they only knew!

Well, kids and neighbors may still be out and a flying motorcycle might be a bit difficult to explain, but it was plenty dark so he put the bike on the silencer and coasted in for a landing on the too quiet street. He pulled off the helmet as he shut off the silent engine. But the smell of smoke didn't go away. Then he saw Hagrid jump off the side of the second story with a bundle in his arms. Wait, where'd the hole in the side of the house come from. Then he saw a lick of flames shoot out right behind the half giant's exit.

"Hagrid! Over here!" He called.

"Oh, thank God 'tis you! It's awful in dar." Big tears wer rolling down his cheeks into his tangled beard.

"Lilly, James! Where are they!"

"You don wan to know." He replied. "Killing curse for both 'em. They're dead and I had to leave them behind to get Harry, here, out safe."

"But how? The fadilious charm. It's unbreakable!" Then it began to dawn on him what must have happened. As he shot a torrent of water and fire suppression charms through the gap in the second story walls quickly subduing the fire. "The little rat." Serious muttered with horror and disgust.

"What you sayin' there Serious."

"Never mind. Give me Harry. I'll get hem over to Molly's to get him checked out and to decide what we do next."

"Dumbledore's orders were clear. I'm to take him to Hogwarts to Poppy and then to Petunia's .place where Lilly's magic will keep him safe."

"But I'm his Godfather. I nee..."

"Look Serious. Death Eaters are still on the prowl and Willy's death defending Harry's life will take the special protection at his only family's house provides according to Dumbledore. At least until we can get things sorted out and a better plan in place."

"Well, I guess that's true enough. How you going to get him there. You can't aparate with a baby, can you, and there isn't a broom big enough to hold you up."

"You're right there. I'll have to take the train. Death Eaters won't be looking for him on a muggle train."

"You can take my bike. Arthur and I reinforced it for the flying side car to work with magic. It ought to hold you just fine. I've seen you write a muggle motorcycle and know you know the basics. Besides I don't think I'm going to need it where I have to go next."

"That'd be a big help. Could you send word to the Order tellin' them how I'm comin' and not to worry 'bout meeting me at the train station."

"Sure. Expectropatronum!" the patronis flew northward out of Serious's wond. He turned on the spot and vanished with a pop.

Hagrid wrapped the little boy in a sling over his neck and shoulder, mounted the Indian, kicked it into life and went roaring down the street. "Got to get you to safety, quick like"

"Momma!" the little one cried.

Hagrid choaked back a sob, and had to stop to clear the goggles that had fogged over. "She can't come with us, Harry."

"Dadda!' Harry wailed.

"Him, neither, little one. It's you and me until I get you to safety. Now where's that flight knob. Ah, here it is.." They had gained the highway and it was deserted for the moment, so he put the machine in motion and gave the knob a yank and off they flew. When he got to the castle, Poppy Pomphrey, the school's healer, took the child in and checked him out. They spent the day trying to calm the lad down. Harry spent the day wondering where his Momma and Daddy were and by night fall plans had been made to take Harry to #4 Privet Drive that night. Harry had a long day and was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately after taking off on Serious's bike again.

The rush of wind and freedom the magic provided Hagrid served to clear his mind temporarily from the tragedy and he managed to tet them both headed in the right directions. By following the train lines well below he had no trouble locating the village where Petunia and Vernon lived. As he flew south and west he saw the one street below where the lights had all gone out. Well it did sort of stick out like a soar thumb with all those muggle street lights lighting the way. That must be the place. Looks like Dumbledore's 'put outer' at work down there, he thought to himself, and pointed the bike down. As he approached the street he saw the dim shadows of two people. One rather tall and thin and the other somewhat shorter with a pointed hat. "That'll be the professors alright. Here we go" The bundle stirred a bit but slept on.


	2. Chapter 2 4 Privet Drive

Chapter 2

#4 Privet Drive

As they rolled up the two seemed to take no notice of him. The two on the ground seemed to be having a a whispered argument judging by the waiving and pointing. "Oh Hagrid. Good, you got here in good time."

"Hold on Albus, you aren't going to put me off like that. If you persist with this nonsense, I'll go straight to the Ministry." the woman in the pointed hat exclaimed. "What you are planning is gross negligence at best and down right irresponsible and mid evil! I won't stand for it for one instant!"

"Now Minerva. You need to calm down. It's for the best he be raised here away from all the publicity and hullabaloo Valdimort's disappearance is bound to cause."

"That may be so, but to leave him outside with only a letter and 6 hours to dawn. That just isn't right."

"What else can we do. It's after midnight and he'll be fine on the step till morning. I'll put a warming charm on the basket."

"No, no, no! I won't stand for it, I tell you! I've watched the way those two treat their son all day. He's spoiled rotten. They won't know how to deal with accidental magic and they won't have a clew about how to make sure he knows his heritage. We just have to make better plans than that."

"What's all the fuss over?" Hagrid asked as he joined the two.

"Albus here wants to just leave him on the door step with a letter explaining what happened."

"Good heavens! Is that what this is about? You can't do that, professor. For one thing the milk man will be out in a couple of hours. See the bottles setting there? What you think he'll do when he gets a load of a baby on the step with the empties? Have a right fit, I'll bet. Not meaning no disrespect but that's a right bad Idea."

"I hadn't thought of that, Hagrid,"

"See, Albus. Even Hagrid here knows that won't work. You can't put it in a letter."

"But Petunia knows about our world. She'll understand what's at stake."

"You can't leave something like that to chance. For God's sake, Lilly was telling me in tears last week she hasn't spoken to her sister in two years and then only to say don't bring our kind to her and Vernon's wedding."

They continued to walk down Privet drive to #4 while Albus Dumbledore thought about the situation. Finally, as they approached the front door he said, "I just think giving them no choice in the matter is necessary. Harry has to be protected. Voldamort may be gone, but his followers will be scouring the countryside for Harry. His family's home protection is the only sure safety I know of. "

"Too true, but the muggles have laws. What if they send him to an orphanage. What you are planning will amount to abandonment in their eyes. We have enough problems with muggle relations. This will be a huge mistake if not handled correctly."

"What do you suggest, Minerva?"

"Lets talk to them. Explain it all to them. See how they react.. Set up a schedule where they get the help they'll need and we'll be able to monitor his development. We just can't walk away and call ourselves responsible adults.."

"It's the middle of the night. They'll wake the dead if they put up a fuss."

"Albus! Are you a wizard or what! That's what the mufleotta charm is for. Good heavens, you'd think I was dealing with a first year."

"Okay, don't get in a twist. I know you are sore from setting on that wall all day, but don't take it out on me."

"Leave my soar bum out of this, just don't treat this situation like Harry's a jug of milk to be brought in the house in the morning."

"Yes, yes, well maybe waking them up is better. You better start casting those charms before I ring their bell. This might not be pretty."

"Oh, come on. You're a Griffendor. Buck up. I think with Hagrid wit us they won't be too anxious to raise much of a ruccus."


	3. Chapter 3 Consternation

Chapter 3

Consternation!

"This better be damn important waking the entire neighborhood in the middle of the night!" Vernon Dudley bellowed as he stomped toward the front door in his bath robe and holding a baseball bat. He swung the door wide and came face to face with the biggest human he ever saw. He stood there thunder struck for a full minute. Then he noticed the witch and wizard standing there in full regalia.

"Petunia." He finally managed to squeak

Petunia had managed to reach the door way to the hall and clapped her hands to her face when she saw who was at the door. "Get them inside." She hissed.

Vernon retreated far enough into the entry way to let them in and get the door shut, but it was a tight squeeze with Hagrid whacking his head on the light fixture. But Vernon showed no intention to let them further into the house. "What's the big idea of dragging us out of bed in the middle of the night." Petunia hissed.

A cry from upstairs seemed to unfreeze Vernon's mouth. "There you've gone and woken up the baby, and it took me an hour to get him settled down. This better be good."

Dumbledore seemed to sag under a huge weight. "Oh, it isn't good at all. You better have a seat. This isn't going to be easy."

"I'm not moving one inch until I know what this is all about." Vernon said forcefully as he began to get his stride after the initial shock and he realized he had what he considered a great equalizer right there in his hands. Nothing to compare with those puny switches the two smaller specimens were carrying and who could possibly fear that ridiculous pink umbrella that huge oath was carrying. So he raised the bat in a threatening gesture.

In a flash, the "oath" whipped the umbrella straight toward the "sweet spot" on the Louisville Slugger. "Expellerraimous!" The half giant shouted. The bat ripped out of Vernon's grasp and crashed into the screan of the telly where it poked out at a comic angle and sent shards of glass every which way.

Dumbledore reached up and gently brought the big man's arm down. Then he flicked his own "switch" and the bat gently withdrew from the set and eased its way to stand gently in the corner and the glass began to return and the splintered wood side of the set along with the mettle side of the picture tube reformed itself with a sucking thump as the gas that was ejected from the tube from the bat's insertion was reintroduced to its proper chamber. "Hagrid." He gently said. "There's no danger here. Just keep that...umbrella of yours in check."

"But I have seen the damage one of them things can do and he looked ready to use it."

"Just relax and we'll just ease in here and have a nice set down and quiet talk. Won't we." He gave Petunia a pointed look.

"Vernon, we better hear them out. Surely they have some re reason for barging in our home in the middle of the night. This is Professor Dumbledore from that freak school Lilly went to. I don't know who these others are." Minerva visibly tensed as though to protest..

Just then the bundle gave a lurch accompanied by a squab. Hagrid removed the sling from over his head and cradled the bundle against his chest and began to gently move it up and down humming a rather odd tune considering his size. It sounded vaguely like a lullaby. The bundle settled right down. In fact, the crying from upstairs got quiet right in cinque with the bundle Hagrid was carrying. "Very good.' Whispered Professor McGoneagel. Filleous will be proud of how well you got that calming charm down.

"Oh, 'tis notin, Professor. I use it all the time on stressed creatures ."

McGoneagel took the bundle and made her way to what looked to be the most comfortable chair in the livingroom. She sat and continued to sooth the bundle. She looked up and began, "There's just no easy way to do this, Albus. Lilly and James are dead."

The blood drained out of Petunia's face. "Dead!" she exclaimed. "That can't be. She's got magic and so does that boy she ran off with. Surely they can protect themselves better than to end up dead."

"Problem is, Valdimort has Magic, too.." Dumbledore groaned.

"He's that fruit cake Lilly was going on about back when she was in school. Surely she had since enough to say away from that creep with a new baby."

"It's a rather long story and I beg you to hold questions until I finish. This is Hagrid and over there on the chair is Professor McGoneagel and Harry."

"Harry!"

"Please." he raised his hand and Petunia got quiet. As the tale unfolded Petunia paled and grew very still while Vernon turned red in the face and became very agitated. .

"So that's what we're up against." he said as he brought the tale to a close.

"And we're suppose to take in their brat." blustered Vernon.

"Weren't ya listening?" Hagrid exclaimed. "He's a baby. He needs family."

"No way he's bringing that mess down on our head. I don't hold any stock in any prophecy." Vernon insisted.

"Neither do I, well completely," explained Dumbledore. "The trouble is that Voldimort holds a great deal of store in them. He thinks Harry here is potentially more powerful than he and he will stop at nothing to kill the child."

"But he's gone." Petunia moaned. "You just said he's gone."

"But his followers aren't and they are bent on revenge and very dangerous."

"All the more reason for you to get out of here and take the whelp with you. I won't let you endanger my family for a bunch of freaks."

McGoneagel"s eyes flashed dangerously. "Which is it, sir, brat, whelp, or freak? That's three slurs on the character of a one year old you've uttered in less than a minute. Make up your mind if you have one."

"Minerva, calm yourself. Mr. Dursley, you're missing an important point. Right now your family is in danger regardless of whether you take the child in. The charm that protects Harry if you take him in is very powerful, unbreakable in fact, until Harry reaches 17, at least for anyone intending harm for Harry. It works with the intent of any intruder. It also gives you, your wife and your child the same protection. If Harry can't claim this as his home and soon, the charm will evaporate. If that happens there's no protection for anyone.

"I don't give a fart in the wind about whether the b... kid is protected. I'd be a fool to let him near us."

"You don't understand. They'll do anything to get there hands on him including kidnaping and killing his relatives in a most gruesome manor one at a time to force us to relinquish Harry. We're banking on getting the Voltimort problem and all his henchman sorted out long before Harry turns 17."

"You mean to say we are marked just because Petunia is Lilly's sister? That's crazy."

"I agree, but it's fact and you have to know it. We can also give your family all kinds of assistance raising Harry. The Potter's are an old family and well respected as well as having plenty of assets set aside for Harry's care and he is the sole surviving Potter. Also, as Harry grows, he will begin to show magic we call accidental magic. He can't control it and if not handled correctly it can be most dangerous for him and those around him." Albus began to choke and have difficulty speaking, like some great emotional upheaval were occurring.

"Albus, what is it?" Minerva soothed.

"Oh, just how sad it makes me to think of Lilly and James, gone."

Minerva gave him a penetrating look. Albus didn't lie well, at least to her, and he had been dealing with the aftermath all day and was willing to bet he hadn't shed a tier or had a single speech problem all day. After a moment, she let it slide, but she kept it in mind for further thought.

As Minerva explained what she had in mind in the way of assistance Albus gently cast a wandless soothing charm and added a gentle compulsion aspect to the conversation. This just had to work. When it was done in about an hour the Dursley's were on board with the plan. They had set up a regular visitation plan and automatic deposits to the Dursley's bank accounts. Minerva would be the visitor at least once a month and the school healer once a month. Molly Weesley was tentatively volunteered to alternate between Minerva and Poppy Pomphry giving a four week weekly schedule with Andrameta Tunks set to be an alternative if for some reason one of the others couldn't take a turn. After a couple of patronouses were returned from Molly, Poppy, and Andrameda the plans were agreed to.

None of the three adult magical's was thrilled with the medieval attitude Vernon couldn't seem to overcome. Minerva seemed satisfied when Albus suggested the healer's portrait which hung in St. Mongos be borrowed and placed in the nursery and her duplicate be placed in Poppy's office as a monitor.

With that bit of tension sorted out they moved upstairs as there wasn't adequate furnishing. Minerva transfigured a well worn desk in the spare room into a baby bed for Harry. and a comfortable rocker to match the one already in the nursery so both babies could be rocked at the same time if need be. Petunia was concerned for a time thinking the furniture wouldn't fit and if it could all be shoe horned in the room would be too crowded. Strangely enough, after Minerva was done the room was plenty large enough with room to spare - enough room for the boys to grow and spread out. It might be a good for Dudley to have a playmate. And with a built in baby setter at least once a week, she just might be able to get on top of all the house and yard work. And withe a little extra money she could get the cleaners in occasionally to do the heavy cleaning. Yes, this might work well, she thought. It's not like they just dumped Harry on us. They're willing to pitch in to ease our life. Now if I can just get Vernon to ease off.


	4. Chapter 4, The Next 9 34 Years

**A/N I hoped a non-story related note would be unnecessary, but evidently not. I read with a voice synthesizer as my vision is too poor to visually read and it has been so since birth and is not likely to improve short of a miraculous regeneration of healthy redness. That is how I have read all novels and text materials through my upper graduate work. Prior to that I employed readers. I check with spell check and reread what I write with the synthesizer. If it sounds write I go with it. Names and spellings that aren't in the Word Perfect data base are a particular problem. Short of digging out Mr. Webster's Big Red Book and a VERY powerful magnifier, there isn't much hope that it will improve, so if your looking for what one of my professors noted as "Della Street" copy, oh well. As to why I write, I want to and I probably need the practice. I'll try to be more careful, but I will not stop writing because looks distract people. **

Chapter 4

The Next 9 3/4 Years

Shortly after the doings on November 1, 1981, #7 Privet Drive became vacant and a rather peculiar middle aged woman moved in just across the street from the Dursleys. Her and 12 cats made a rather lively addition to the otherwise cookie cutter boredom of the neighborhood. You couldn't say the area was awful. It just lacked any sort of personality. The neighbors and the Dursley's all took extreme pride in their perfectly manicured lawns, pristine groomed and pruned gardens and woe be it if a flake of pealing paint was ever spotted. All this striving for perfection in appearances left a gaping hole in the neighborhood where a personality ought to be, but along came Mrs. Fig. She was a rather pleasant woman, even if a bit eccentric. Well, maybe a tad bit more than a little. She was often seen coming home from the market pushing a tram from market with more cat food than human food. She didn't drive a car. She just seemed to walk everywhere she wanted to go. And she never seemed to want to go very far. She was always eager to strike up a conversation and was always entertaining with all the tales of Mr. Tiddles, her oldest old tom cat.

Of course they stretched credulity to the limit with all the heroic antics she attributed to the old tom, but she seemed harmless enough as she puttered around in her yard and up and down Privet Drive and around Little Winging. She soon became an excepted figure, and she did seem to have the most interesting garden in the neighborhood. Huge blooms of flowers no one had ever seen before and the strangest long stems that waved in the breeze even if there wasn't a breeze. Every now and then some strange looking people would come to her door and they could be seen in her garden pointing to this plant and that leaf and another bloom and Mrs. Fig could be seen bundling stuff together and giving them to the strangers. When asked about it, she would get rather vague and insist that none of her plants were for sale to the general public. Perhaps the strangest part of the rather unusual back yard was the way the neighborhood kids seemed rather certain to avoid straying into that back yard. One little guy insisted the cats guarded that back yard and wouldn't let anyone to close without running off to Mrs. Fig who'd come and shoe any kids out of her yard. Who ever heard of a guard cat.

Life went on at #4 with very little noticeable changes. There were two boys now as the house and the neighbors were all made aware that the Potter boy had come to live with his Aunt after the tragic deaths of his parents during some random violent attack of some I. R. A. fanatics while the family was in London. They had just moved to the city for a new job the father had obtained when the bomb went off in the restaurant the couple were celebrating in while little Harry was being watched by a babysitter.

Harry was a rather thin young fellow when standing along side of his cousin, Dudley. If you saw him by himself, however, he didn't seem unhealthy and was well developed and normal sized for his age. Dudley was just a large boned child, much like his father. Harry's most unusual characteristics were his piercing green eyes that, while kindly, seemed to look into your soul and a rather unusual lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead said to have been caused by falling down some steps and getting a rather nasty gash that never healed just right. He was a very bright child and did extremely well at school. In fact he did so well the teachers regularly had him helping the other children keep up. He was a natural leader without ever trying and had away of explaining "stuff", as the kids called it, that just seemed natural and they caught on right away. Dudley was thought to be the primary beneficiary. The teachers would wonder about how sharp Dudley really was by his responses in class, but, sure enough, when test time came around, Dudley's grades were right up there with Harry's. During one conference Petunia explained that the boys studied together and some friends of Harry's poor parents were professors at a private school and they had a unique way of making learning fun for the boys.

"What ever it is, don't change a thing." the teacher said. They boost the scores of everyone in the class trying to keep up with them.

When Harry and Dudley were 8 a new student was added to the class. Pierce, by name. He was a scrawny rat faced guy with a reputation for trouble making everywhere he had been. He seemed to follow around after the bully type boys and cause all sorts of mayhem for the teachers. Dudley struck up a friendship with the boy as he was the biggest boy in the class and Pierce was always hanging around. But the friendship almost ended in blows when Dudley saw Pierce corner Harry in the playground and was taunting him, calling him "Scar Face" for the scar on his forehead and "Slob" for never being able to control the mop of black hair on his head and "freak" for the almost luminesce green eyes . Pierce was maybe a little bigger than Harry but he considered himself street wise and wanted to establish himself as high as possible in the playground pecking order. When Dudley got there Pierce had grabbed Harry by the shirt when Harry refused to pay the tole Pierce was demanding to let him use the playground in safety - from him of course. Dudley grabbed Pierce by the back of the shirt, and somehow slung Pierce onto the roof of the cafeteria. That wasn't such an unbelievable feet as the cafeteria was built on a lower level of the campus and it put the roof at about the same level as the playground, but it did involve pitching over a 3 foot chain link fince a top of about a 10 foot retaining wall down to the classroom ground level and over about a 4 foot walkway around behind the back of the building. The gym teacher had seen the exchange from the far corner of the playground and was running to separate the boys when Dudley got there first and literrally appeared to throw the boy over the fence an well onto the roof.

The gym teacher was left standing there speechless. When he finally got his voice the only thing he could think to say was, "Dudley, have you ever thought about joining the wrestling team?"

Harry and Dudley exchanged an odd look and Harry muttered to the teacher, "Sometimes Dudley doesn't know his own strength. Please, don't get him in trouble. He was just protecting me."

"Oh, don't worry, I saw the whole thing. Pierce is a known troublemaker. We've been on guard ever since he came here for some stunt like that. Looks to me like he got just what he asked for." When they got the ladders up and collected Pierce off the roof, he was going on about Harry, not Dudley throwing him.

"Son, I saw the whole thing. You just keep your lying tall tales to yourself this time. We have your number."

They took Harry and Dudley to the school nurse as well as Pierce, who had bumps and scrapes from his rather unorthodox flight. Nothing was broken and the only thing seriously damaged was Pierce's pride. As they got to the nurse's office the headmistrice of the elementary school arrived with two oddly dressed individuals. They had introduced themselfs as the friends of the Potters and showed them their credentials of the private school and a letter from the Dursleys giving them permission to review Harry's scores for possible admission to their rather exclusive secondary school for extremely gifted children.

"The boys got involved in an altercation with a 'want-a-be' playground bully who thought he could intimidate Harry here and get the answers to the next test and extort his lunch money to be left alone. We're on top of that sort of nonsense here." the head mistress insisted.

"But it was Harry who shoved me over that fence. He could have killed me!" Pierce spluttered,. "He's a bloody freak and a menace!"

The elder of the two men gave Pierce what the head mistress thought to be a rather scary look and muttered something that didn't quite sound like blithering idiot - more like obliviate, but that didn't make any since. It must have meant something to Pierce because he got a rather vacant stare and quit running on about being thrown so far by a rather quiet book worm.

The incident did not have any long term effect on the smooth running of the school. In fact, it had a rather odd beneficial effect on Pierce. He quit being a bully and became friends with Dudley and Harry. His grades improved as he was incorporated into the group of high achievers after he learned that the entire class would defend Harry and the only way to have any friends at all in the class was to study hard and do your best. No one wanted anyone hanging around them who would drag them down. Harry and Dudley had them all going places and they liked it. They were the special kids in the school and for those who hadn't been in Harry's earlier classes it was the first time they had ever done so well and anyone who didn't get with the program could get lost.

The gym teacher got Harry and Dudley into wrestling classes that got both boys into serious conditioning training. Part of the training was running laps at the end of the class for general conditioning. The coach spotted Harry's speed on the track immediately and with the training he became a regular blur on the track. The following year the boys were recruited for the school's football team. Dudley became an excellent keeper for the team. His height and stocky build covered a lot of the goal, and his boxing and wrestling training improved his reflexes and ability to anticipate the moves of his opponents. Harry's speed and agility made him a natural at forward soon leading the team in goals as his foot work improved. For Harry the thrill of running - the faster the better - was worth all the hard work. As they moved into the next year the two began to attract the attention of the secondary school's in the area. Vernon was thrilled with this development and contacted his old private school he had attended, Smeltings, The coach from Smeltings came to see the last game against their crosstown rivals who manage to beat them by one goal in the championship game with a much bigger, more experienced, and older squad the previous year. This year the championship came down to the same two teams. Harry and Dudley were co-captains. Dudley was almost untouchable at goal tending allowing the fewest goals in city history for the season. Harry might could have crushed the leagues record for scoring, but he was brilliant at passing the ball and took great pleasure in causing his opponents to never know where the scoring threat was coming from. Their offence was relentless and balanced and they easily won the championship game 7 - 0. Harry scored 3 goals and the other two forwards had 2 each.

The coach of the public secondary school could see championship trophies in the school's case and pro scouts and university scouts filling the visitor boxes in the coming years only to have his hopes dashed when it was clear the Smeltings coach had the inside track for at least Dudley. The rather stylish older gentlemen with the long white beard and the younger man all decked out in solid black and an impeccably tailored suit from the exclusive school for extremely gifted children seemed to have Harry Potter's attention. But they took solist by recruiting three other members of this well coached and highly motivated team. The spirit of that team lasted several more years as the coaches were able to realize that teamwork was the key even for the most gifted athletes. The remaining players were talented and had discovered how to work together and how much fun it could really be. That lesson held even the younger years in good stead and they were able to spread the traditions, with help of good coaches year after year.

Both boys were in high spirits as the end of their final year at elementary school came to a close. The head mistress was practically in tears at the commencement exercises telling Petunia what a wonderful job she had done with the two boys and how much they would be missed.

With the euphoria of the end of their adventure the world seemed at the boy's feet for the taking to Petunia and Vernon. The horrors of Lilly and James' death were shunted to the back of everyone's mind and life held only good things for the two happy and well adjusted boys. Petunia often thought how proud Lilly would have been of her son and how he was turning out. It eased the guilt a bit of the harsh words and jealousy she had allowed to become between Lilly and her. She thrilled in "her boys" achievements. The future was full of hope and the monster seemed gone for good and all his henchmen were rounded up and put in Askaban, the wizarding prison Lilly had told her about guarded by those horrid soul sucking dementors and good for them, too. They got all they deserved.

Two men and a middle aged woman with a Scottish accent hadn't forgot. Rumors still oozed out of the dark places of the hidden world and an uneasy undercurrent and foolish contentment and complacency in the belief that they didn't need to work to keep the "perfect peace" brought about by the "boy who lived".came from the light places in that hidden world. But the "boy who lived" had not been seen for many years. But he would be coming to Hogwarts next year and the wizarding world could at last see him themselves. It would be a good time, or so they thought. The creatures in the forbidden forest seemed to think differently and so did a couple of fuddy duddies at the school and old Mad Eye Moody was just a senile old kill joy seeing monsters under every bed. He'd been great in his time rounding up all those death eaters. It was over now and all old history - wasn't it?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Next 9 3/4 Years

From the Other Side

Leaving #4 late November 1 or was it early November 2, 2981, Hagrid remounted th Indian, gently rode it to a deserted stretch of road and flew it from there back to the garage in London near Serious's Apartment where he knew Serious kept the bike. An old wine-o had quite a tale the next day about the bike landing in the alley with a roar to wake the dead., but no one paid any attention to the bloke. He was always coming up with some outlandish story no one believed.

When Hagrid tried to return the keys he couldn't locate Black anywhere so he dropped the keys in the mail slot and took the night bus back to Hogsmesd.

He got back to his hut on the Hogwarts grounds about 3:00 a.m. and crashed until dawn when he discovered he had overslept and some of the chores he had missed the day before were pitching a bit of a ruccus to be taken care of. So he wondered up to the castle about mid morning to find Poppy, Molly, Minerva, Albus, and a very distraught former graduate, Severus Snape, sequestered around a table in the anti chamber off the main hall with papers and charts scattered about.

"Oh good,. You are here" Albus said, "You missed breakfast. Did you sleep this late?"

"Nah. Jus' cattchin' up a bit with some of the creatures I'm lookin' after. Didn't get much done yesterday, did I."

"Well, since you were at Lilly and James' and know the situation, and we want as few knowing about this as possible for right now, I'm going to want you involved in these plans to help the others." Minerva said. She seemed to be taking charge of the situation as Albus seemed preoccupied with getting Severus involved and keeping the wards in place.

"Oh sure thing there. Glad to help any way I can," but jerking a thumb in Severous's direction, Hagrid muttered, "but what's he doin' here? Thought he'd joined the other side and took the mark and all."

Albus overheard the comment. "Severus has agreed to work for the Order as a spy and for reasons I'm not going to go into right now and needs to be aware of the situation so he might be able to give us a heads up if Voldimort is planning anything. And, yes, he has my trust." Albus added as he turned to acknowledge Hagrid's presence.

"Well, if you say so, but this situation needs careful care not to get spread about."

"Yes, thank you. I think we have that well established." Minerva said rather sharply.

A schedule was set up with the headmaster and the women making regularly scheduled visits. Andramaida would be a substitute should for any reason one of the regulars couldn't make it. Severous and Hagrid would drop in at unscheduled times when they could do so without disturbing either Severous's cover or Hagrid's duties to make sure Vernon wasn't just keeping up appearances on regularly scheduled visit days.

Mrs. Fig would be living there 24 - 7, as the muggles liked to put it. They would buy the vacant house near the Dursley's, move her in and have an additional pair of eyes and ears in the neighborhood. Her place also had a fireplace that could be hooked to the flu network and her back yard could serve as an aparation point when needed. They did get a good price for the house as it had sat empty for a number of months when the military family that owned the place had been transferred on short notice and hadn't had time to do an update on the place or tidy it up a lot, and the Realtors seemed a bit lackadaisical about sprucing the place up, especially inside. As a result the neighborhood association was thrilled to get the place occupied despite the apparent peculiar nature of the new owner and all her many cats. And her new yard man was undoubtedly the largest human any of them had ever seen. He was alright, though, and to have someone around that size would deter crime like you couldn't imagine. Dumbledore had obtained permission from Grengots for the purchase the house from the Potter's main trust fund and they agreed that it was a good investment both for the child's safety and for the return upon resale should Harry decide he didn't need the property when he gained his majority. . Hagrid could also help out keeping the house up and yard in shape.

By lunch time they were ready for lunch, especially Hagrid, as his stomach had started to growl. A half giant's growling stomach was nothing to ignore, so they concluded the session ad adjourned to the main hall. Minerva and Molly left after an early afternoon transfiguration class for a muggle apartment store to get little Harry several outfits as not much could be salvaged from the Godrick Hollow home.

They stumbled back into Minerva's office through the flu they took back from London and the Leaky Cauldron in time for supper. "I never saw so much stuff in one place in all my days!" Molly exclaimed as she brushed off her cloak. "I wondered what on earth we would need with an apartment store, but I didn't see a single apartment in the store when you said where we were going.. Wouldn't a better name for that sort of store be 'Every Thing You Need For An Apartment' Store?"

"Yes, I suppose it might, but it might be a big to put on a sign board, don't you think." Minerva quipped.

"I suppose so, but it sure wasn't what I was expecting. I'm sure glad you knew how to handle muggle money. Arthur always does that if we need to. It was still a fascinating place, but I'm glad Arthur had to work. I might never have gotten him out of that small appliance section. The only place I ever saw that many plugs before was in our shed."

Minerva laughed. "Yes, he can get carried away with muggle things, but sometimes it is dead useful."

Minerva found that over the next few months Vernon need several sharp reminders as to how important it was to seal #4 in Harry's mind as a permanent home. She was afraid it had all gone south when, after just two weeks, she arrived to find the wards had gone in reverse and had almost collapsed.

She and Petunia frantically searched for Harry and finally found him in the cupboard below the stairs. She put in a frantic call to Severus and Albus, and between the the three of them they managed to get the wards stabilize and the child feeling better. Severus used a light lagilmon spell on Petunia and discovered Vernon had left in a rage when Harry woke him at dawn. Petunia had slept through the feeding schedule after her husband left for the office. Harry had slipped away as Petunia got Dudley playing after Vernon left for the office. Petunia discovered it took only seconds for a toddler as active as Harry was to disappear. Dudley was a much more sedentary child and it was easy for Petunia to doze off after a long morning.

Child proof catches were procured for that particular cupboard and some kitchen cabinets that were in easy reach of toddlers. After getting the situation under control Severus was dispatched to the Dursley's master bedroom while Minerva and Albus distracted Petunia. Severus then placed a charm on the bed and a dab of one of his specialized potions into Vernon's Grecian Formula that would, between the two of them, induce a rather vivid dream concerning the dyer consequences that would befall him and his family should the wards ever fail and the Deatheaters ever discover Harry's location

The Goblins immediately discovered after the second transfer of funds to the Dursley account that Vernon had set up a scheme to siphon off 5 to 10% of the fund for Harry's maintenance and was putting it in a separate account only he had access to. When confronted Vernon tried to say he was investing it for the boy's benefit, but that didn't fly as Severus was almost as good as Valdimort had been at ferreting out a lie. The potion was tweaked a bit and Vernon's dream took a very realistic turn as to what life was like for those incarcerated in Askavan by wizards or arrested by the Goblin nation for embezzlement. Something about having your soul sucked out through your mouth or hands chopped off to prevent thievery didn't fit with Vernon's early retirement plans.

Vernon's attitude began to take a marked improvement after about a year when he discovered Harry was teaching Dudley how to read. Minerva had left some early wizarding childhood learning aids that were working wonders for Harry's cognition. Harry would then turn right to Dudley and teach him how to do everything he could. Molly found it remarkable and often brought Ronald along on her visits and discovered that Harry's presents and quickness would spread to her youngest. "Just leave them together alone and before you know it they are both reading the book." she exclaimed to her husband after one afternoon over at the Dursley's. "I think I'll take Ginny over there next time and see how she handles dealing with three boys that near her own age.

"Don't over due it, Molly. There is quite a bit of tension over there still with the Vernon situation according to Hagrid."

"Oh, pish posh, we're gone long before that old blow hard gets there, and when it's just Petunia and I, things run smooth as they can."

"Well, just be careful, is all I'm saying."

"Concern noted." Molly replied as she was folding laundry and sending it to its locations throughout the house.

Ronald was the biggest problem with the four children together. He seemed a bit stand offish at first. He seemed to think Ginny was taking his place in the natural order of things. He had rather liked not being the little brother and away from his baby sister who managed to get all his mother's attention at home. However, after discovering that she would take his side when Dudley and Harry had other plans, he decided that having his family better represented balanced the play out about right.

The occasional bouts of accidental magic that were bound to occur were another source of some concern as Dudley seemed to be left out occasionally as magic wasn't in his nature. Molly seemed to have a 6th since concerning these occurrences and made sure he didn't feel out of place or over powered by adding a bit of her own magic for his benefit. The others never caught on to the mild subterfuge. This worked well until Dudley was old enough to learn that he had his own good things he could do without magic.

Dudley ended up with the best of both worlds as they started school. Harry was encouraged always to share his knowledge and Dudley was an eager learner. He learned quite young that magic, while a gift, wasn't the only important gift successful people had, and that many - in fact, most - successful people, including his mother, had no magic at all and he was still loved and cared for.

Severus had been dragged along kicking and screaming (figuratively speaking) into all the plans. He had decided to hate anything a part of James forever, but he had found Harry so much like his mother that it was hard not to find himself enjoying the time he could be a part of the scheme. As Harry began to get involved in athletics, Severus grew fascinated by the muggle footgall game and could be seen on the Quitich pitch trying his hand (or rather his foot) at the game whenever he thought no one was looking and began to appreciate just how well coordinated one had to be to be any good at the game. It was also excellent exercise. Besides, it was very similar to Quitich in concept and he was itching to rest the cup from Griffender House. Surely, as bright as Harry was the least he could do is get sorted into Ravenclaw. If he could get him into Slitherin House, that would be best. He would at least make sure that Harry learned not to be a foolish dare devil or gung-ho risk taker that almost always landed in that fool Lion Den. He could at least see to that.

The incident during Harry's third year in primary school With the muggle bully, Pierce, was the most troublesome incident before the incident it the zoo. Without a bit of luck and the muggle's propensity to explain everything in a "non-magical" manner, it could have caused real problems at the Ministry of Magic (MOM).

Even so, it caused a good bit of explaining to the Underage Magic Office (UMO} about how he and Albus had manage be on the seen at exactly the right time to minimize their world's exposure. After a rather lot of paper work the office had excepted the coincident of Albus and he being there to review Harry and one other muggle born's records prior to being considered for their Hogwart's letter in a few years, and the rather unorthodox use of the mild obliviate and confundus charms on Pierce and reinforcing Dudley's potential as an athlete was a much better solution than a mass obliviate spell to all the muggles that might have been necessary without their timely intervention.

There was superb timing and a brilliant bit of luck involved in the events of the final football game. No one had anticipated the notoriety that Harry would generate in the muggle world with his play on the sports field. All of a sudden Cornelius Fudge was being contacted by the muggle Prime Minister to find out if that Harry Potter grade school football sensation was the same child that had created such a stir in the wizarding world several years back. He had found the notes to the incident in his predecessor's confidential MOM file. If it was the same kid, was magic being used by the kid to give him an unfair advantage. And, if not, could he recruit him for the All England International Youth Soccer League. That took a bit of explaining by Fudge and he was unable to use any spells, by law, on the muggle PM. He was not a happy camper when he came to see Dumbledore after that most contentious session.

"We are suppose to go to them with our concerns, Albus, not the other way around!" How am I to keep proper relations if things get out of hands like this. He had the gall to suggest that we owed it to England to support the British team!"

As time approached for Harry and Dudley to complete primary school Dudley's birthday also arrived. He was excited by the pile of over 40 presents on and piled around the coffee table in the livingroom the morning of his birthday and by a happy coincident, his birthday fell on a Saturday. The family and a bunch of Dudley and Harry's friends, including the two younger Weesley children plus Molly, were headed to the destination of Dudley's choice, the zoo.

It was announced when the friends had all gathered by Dudley that many of these gifts looked like they might be duplicates, and if so he was giving them to the kids at the orphanage a mile or two away that his class had visited. And that if there were too much for him to keep in his room he would also donate that to the kids there.

The kids all gave Dudley a huge round of applause. Petunia swelled with pride and began to gush on about how wonderful and thoughtful her grown up young man was turning out.

"Oh Mom, give it a rest. I got the idea from the telly last night. Prince Harry was doing it and the Queen just went on as if that were the only reasonable way to do it. Besides, it's time to go to the zoo."

They all piled into the large van Vernon rented for the occasion and Vernon got in to drive. In the families car Petunia carried the three or four that wouldn't fit into seat belts in the van and off they went to what would prove to be a most unusual outing.

It was at the reptile house when things got out of control. Harry never was sure how it all got started. Snakes in the wild are a real oddity in the British Isles so draw quite a bit of attention when zoo time is contemplated and this trip was no exception. For some reason Harry ended up at the end of the bunch. Probably because he had become fascinated by what the sign described as one of the most poisonous snakes for it's sized in the collection. It was also probably one of the safest to handle as its poison fangs were in the back of a rather small mouth and it had great difficulty biting a larger animal. The Coral Snake, found on the North American continent, was easily identified by its brightly colored bands that went all the way around its body and its solid black, and rounded off head. Much different than the triangular shaped heads of almost all other poisonous vipers, even its close cousin, the cobra.

The specimen the zoo had was said to be typical of the breed in size and was about 12 inches long. It seemed a bit agitated at being confined in such a small area and was trying its best to conceal itself among and below the pebbles of all different sizes and shades in the glass display container When Harry looked up the rest of the party had moved away from the largest snake in the display. An eighteen foot Boa Constrictor from Brazil.

A bunch of kids had left their hand prints of the glass front of the cage where they had tried to get the monstrous sized reptile to move. But the animal slept on.

Harry walked over to look at the creature that looked so out of place in the small confined area.

"I bet you get a lot of that sort of stuff all day long." he said.

The snake gradually opened one eye and raised it head enough to nod.

Harry's jaw dropped. "Did you hear me?" He quizzed the snake, not believing what he saw.

The snaked opened the other eye and clearly rolled them both back. "Of course.." Harry heard the snake say. "I get that all the time. It's really quite a bore. However, I never have spoken to a human before."

"You can speak?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, I've never spoken to a snake before, either. Come to think of it, I've never had a chance, before. You're from Brazil, aren't you? Is it nice there?"

The snake jabbed its tail at the plaque beside the display.

"Bread in Captivity" Harry read. "Oh, I see."

As Harry had entered the reptile house he had noticed a family of blonds, well what looked to be a mother and father and their rather self centered son. Just then Harry heard a shriek, "A Parsel Mouth. Look Dad, he's got that snake talking back and moving!" the blond boy was shrieking, and he shoved Harry aside.

"Draco!" the motherly looking woman shushed. But the damage was done. Harry tripped over something on the floor. He slammed his hand toward the window desperate to catch his balance and the glass moved aside to let Harry have a place to grab hold.

The snake took the opportunity to move with extreme speed considering his size and in about 3 seconds had all 18 feet of his body on the floor headed for the exit. He said "Thanks!" to Harry the moment he cleared the cage. "Look out Brazil, here I come!" Panic followed immediately.

When the dust had all cleared no one had really been hurt, but several children were certain the snake had tried to grab and crush them as it passed.

Molly joined up with Severus and Albus who had been shadowing the group and hustled the party back to the picnic area where a bit of group persuasion was necessary to convince the non magic children that the blond kid was a nut case that had been let out a little too soon for his own good.

"Merlin!" exclaimed Molly after they had arrived back at #4 and got the kids all shipped home, and they could catch their breath. "What a commotion. Wasn't that the Malfoy's son, Draco, back there? I never expected to see him in a muggle zoo.".

Severus groaned. "I guess that is sort of my fault. I'm Draco's godfather and I was over there for supper and I mentioned I was watching a class with some muggleborn students headed to the zoo with Albus today. I heard him whining at his parents to take him, but I never expected Narsissa or Lucious to give into him knowing how they hate anything muggle.

July 31 came and Harry's birthday celebration was much more subdued. The Weesley's, Albus, Minerva, Mrs Fig, and the Dursley's along with Hagrid were having a barbecue in the Dursley's back yard. They knew that Harry's owl would be arriving that day sometime and a "need to know" party seemed a better plan than the raucous at the zoo.

Right on schedule in the mid afternoon an owl arrived and landed on the arm of the lamp post in the back yard with a letter tied to his leg. Harry was invited to go remove the letter from the owl's leg and read it out to everyone:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Pursivle Wilfred Bryan Dumbledore

Assistant Headmistriss: Minerva McGonigal

July 31. 1991

Harry James Potter

Bedroom #3

#4 Privet Drive

Little Winging, England

Dear Mr. Potter:

We are pleased to extend to you an invitation to attend school at Hogwartss School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the upcoming school year to begin on September 1, 1991.

Please respond by owl to this letter no later than August 15, 1991, if you decide to except this invitation.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonigel

Deputy Head Mistress

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

P. S.

Please find enclosed, a booklist along with a list of supplies and clothing required of all firs years.

Please note that first years are permitted to bring an owl, cat, or a toad as a pet. NO FIRST YEAR STUDENT IS PERMITTED TO BRING THEIR OWN BROOM TO HOGWARTS.

.

"Wow! It really is going to happin!" Harry said excitedly.

"You bet, mate!" Ron piped in and he reached in his pocket and retrieved a rather well warn version of the same letter."

"Oh, please Momma, why do I have to stay home?" Ginny pleaded. "I know everything Harry and Ron do. I don't think I can bare being home by myself the whole year."

"We'll manage somehow." Molly said with a bit of a sad grin, knowing her children were growing up. "Just think of poor Aunt Petunia, here, losing boh these fine boys at the same time."

Petunia reached one arm around each of the boys much to their embarrassment, but tolerate it they did. "It's going to be so quiet around here. Dudley off to Smeltings. He looks so handsome and grown up in his new uniform. I bet Harry will look quite the scholar in those robes they wear at Hogwarts. I remember how dignified they made Lilly look." and she tried to wipe away a tear with her shoulder not wishing to let go of either of the two young men just yet.

"Ah, let 'em go, Petunia. These burgers are going to turn into hockey pucks if we don't get to eating them soon. Dudley did remind me of some very good times I had while wearing that uniform and carrying the walking stick. Dead useful that thing was on a prank or two we pulled."

"Oh, Vernon! Really. Don't you go giving them any bright ideas. You'll have them in trouble before they even get there." and she shooed them both to go get the line started for the food.

"Hagrid." Albus called, as the big man was gathering a half dozen burgers together on his plate. "You all set for tomorrow?"

"Umm! These burger things are delicious. You say they are HAMburgers but they don't have any pork in them? They are all beef? Muggles can sure have some funny names for things. Oh, sure Professor. I'm all set. Pickin' Harry here up at 9:00 a.m. in the morning. We'll take the train into London and get off at Sherring Cross station and from there it's a short walk to Diagon Alley."

"Good, Good!" Minerva added. "Don't forget to pick up the train ticket and for goodness sake, Hagrid, don't forget that envelope with the ticket that has the directions about how to get onto the Platform 9 3/4 like you did that poor Hufflepuff boy you were helping last year. He almost missed the train and the conductor had to yank the emergency break as they were pulling out when he came flying out of the barrier at the last minute with his trolly. Poor kid took three weeks to settle down." She chided.

Harry's trip to Diagon Ally put the Icing on his summer. He found Hedwig, a rather beautiful and smart snowy owl, or rather Hagrid found her and gave it to him for a birthday present one day late. The stop at Olivander's Wand Shop, Makers of Fine Wands Since ... Was the most peculiar and a bit troublesome part of the shopping trip. He went on about "He Who Must Not Be Named" giving him the scar with his wand's brother wand and closed the rather bazaar session with the pronouncement "I think we can expect great things from you Mr. Potter. After all, he who must not be named did great things - TERRIBLE THINGS - but great!"

It put a rather gloomy close to an otherwise outstanding day. Harry was set for September 1. He wasn't the only one. The Goblins were in a fiz about the break in, and the Centaurs were behaving weird, even for centaurs. They even went so far at to hunt up Hagrid on the night before term started and told him "Mars was very bright the last two days."

Like I'm suppose to know what that's all about he groaned at staff meeting when he relayed the message. Civil Trolony looked like she would pass out and Albus seemed to be very thoughtful as he thanked Hagrid for relaying the message.

Thus September 1 came almost nine and three quarters of a year after October 31, 1981.

The only bit of unfinished business in Harry's young life, Harry knew nothing about. Serious Black had been caught and bundled off to Askavan for the deaths of thirteen muggles and one Peter Petegrew. The irate Orers slammed a Salencio spell into Black to shut him up from going on any more about getting arrested being worth it if he got the bastard, Petagrew. Albus's affidavit the day after the the killing that Serious had been the Potter's secret keeper and the crime scene where the street had been blown apart with nothing but Peter's finger left caused the night magistrate in the MOM to sign the commitment papers directly to Askaban and in the confusion and celebration after Valdimort's disappearance the paperwork was lost. Anyone who remembered the incident figured he'd gotten what he deserved and left the bureaucrats to make sure the "I's" were dotted and the "t's" were crossed. As bureaucrats the world over or want to do, they managed to cross the "i's" and dot the "t's" and promptly forgot the entire problem. By the time it was discovered about 2 years later that Black had no trial the government had no interest in looking bad by admitting it had overlooked a guilty man's basic right to a trial. And there it lay for the next seven and three quarters years.

And there you are. All caught up to Harry's first trip to Hogwarts by train. As he and Ron climbed on the Express, Harry had almost completely forgot the gloomy old wondmaker's predictions in the joy and excitement of beginning a great advinture.


	6. Chapter 6 Trains and Things

Chapter 6

Trains and Things

Harry met up with the Weesley's as they entered the train station to get their trolley to load their trunks on. Ron had his pet rat in his cage setting on his trunk and Harry had Hedwig in her cage on his trunk. Harry was a bit dubious about just waltzing through the solid brick wall between platform 9 and 10. Even after the twins and Percy had no problems he was still a bit hesitant. "Isn't there any other way to get on the platform?" He asked.

"No other very practical way for under aged wizards." said Arthur.

"Oh, go on, Harry, I've done it three times already to see Perce, Gred and Forge off." razzed Ron.

Ginny piped up, "Want me to show you how it's done?"

With that bit Harry lowered his head and headed for the wall.

"Better take it at a bit of a run your first time. I hear it's very disconcerting to stop half way through and have to start moving again." Molly called. So Harry picked up speed and through the barrier he went. There, all of a sudden, appeared a scarlet Steam engine with coal car belching steam and smoke everywhere along with a brilliant set of matching passenger cars with all sorts of children and caged pets squawking, howling, hooting, and mewing everywhere - hanging out windows, leaning out doorways, and squirming out of parents grasps as the tried to give their kids a final good by before they saw them again for Christmas break.

Excitement seemed to fill Harry's hart. He turned to see Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon emerge from the back side of the barrier. Aunt Petunia looked "disconcerted" and Harry thought she must have stopped half way through. Uncle Vernon looked positively green.

"God!" he blustered. "That's the most un-natural thing I ever saw! Don't tell me we have to go back the same way!"

"Oh, Vernon." Aunt Petunia shushed, "Don't make such a scene. Of course we go back the same way. It's perfectly safe. I did it a couple of times with Lilly and not so much as a scratch. Buck up."

"It just isn't natural!" He complained.

"It is for wizards." said Arthur, who had come through with Molly right after Vernon.

Last came Ron with Ginny in tow. "Good, you two had no trouble then." Molly said, and off they all went to load trunks and pets on the train in available compartments.

"Hay Dad!" Dudley hollered, as he jumped down from the car the kids had settled their trunks in with the twins and Dudley's help. "There's a kid on the train with this HUGE harry legged spider in a box! Must be two feet long. Wanta' come see?"

Vernon's green tinge returned with vengeance. "No, I think not." he managed after swallowing back a throat full of bile. Ron stumbled off the train with the same facial hew that Uncle Vernon had.

"What's up?" Harry asked as he noticed Ron's pallor.

"I...don't...like...spiders." Ron managed to get out.

"Ronnikins!" Fred exclaimed as he bounced off the train. "I thought you'd like Lee Jordan's new pet."

"You look sort of out of sorts." added George, as he bounded down with a smirk plastered on his face.

"You'd hate spiders too if your favorite teddy were turned into a big harry spider when you were three." Ron complained.

The twins howled with laughter until Molly gave them a scowl.

"Mum!" Ginny wailed, "I want to go, too! I turn 11 the end of the month. Why can't I go too?"

"Don't worry." the twins said in unison. "We'll send you something nice first chance we get."

"You'll do nothing of the sort!" Molly huffed. "We don't need another snapping toilet seat like that one you set on Ron last year!"

"Oh, right." Fred

"Forgot about that." George

"Wonderful idea, though." in unison..

Ginny was laughing and crying at the same time.

"Now dear," her mother soothed. "Christmas break will be here in no time."

With that the train whistle gave its final warning and doors up and down the train began to slam shut. Last good by's were given and final hugs shared and the conductor was shooing them on the train. "We roll in 30 seconds. MOVE IT!" He shouted. And Harry and Ron were hanging out the car window waiving good by as Ginny ran the length of the platform. She looked so forlorn there by herself as Harry hung out the last window of the last car. He couldn't help it. He blew her a kiss. Ginny stood there with a smile and a tear as the train turned the curve and they lost sight of the platform.

"Whad'd you do that for?" Ron asked.

"I don't know." Harry said. "Seemed like the right thing to do."

"Don't go getting girley on me now." Ron moaned.

Harry slapped his friend on the back of the head. "Don't worry, mate. Never hurts to be nice. I don't think it'd be much fun in that big house of yours being the only kid left."

"Okay, just don't get mushy about it."

'It's the little things, Ron, people like and for some reason for girls it's a favorite little thing."

"She liked the toilet seat idea, didn't she?"

"Yes, but the twins already used that gag." With that Harry sat down for the long ride.

After an hour of so, the boys were getting a bit hungry. "Molly had packed Ron a corned beef sandwich. When he discovered it. "Why does she think I like corned beef? She'll pack other stuff for everyone else, but me, corned beef!" He complained.

"I like corned beef." Harry said. "And I have a couple of chicken salad sandwiches here and a PBJ."

"PBJ? What's that?"

"Peanut Butter and Jelly. It's from the States. Uncle Vernon took us last summer, remember. He had that business deal going to sell drill bits the Home Depot. They had them on the kids menu so Dudley and I got one. Uncle Vernon tried a bit of it and got it every time we ate at the hotel and anywhere else he found it on the menu from then on. Aunt Petunia thought he was a bit silly to pay money for something that was so easy to make, but she makes them all the time now."

"Sure." Ron said. So Harry and Ron swopped sandwiches and split the PBJ. Aunt Petunia also included a couple of apples, a bag of crisps, and a box of pretzels for snacks. The food was devoured and about then a middle aged witch knocked on the door to their compartment and asked, "Anything from the Trolley, deers?"

Ron mumbled, "No thanks, I'm all set."

"What's all this stuff on the Trolley, Ron."

He looked with a bit of longing, "Well, there's Burdie's Every Flavored Beans, Drubles Best Blowing Bubble Gum, pumpkin pastries, pumpkin juce, and best of all, Chocolate Frog Cards, but I don't have any money. Mom was sort of short of cash after getting all my school stuff."

Harry reached in his pocket and brought out a hand full of gold and silver coins. "This is left over from buying my stuff at Diagon Alley and Aunt Petunia said I could take it 'cause she doesn't have time nor inclination to ride those 'fool Grengots under ground rail cars' again, to return them to my vault."

"Wow!"

"We'll take the lot." Harry told the lady.

Harry came back in with an arm load of sweets. They started on the Birdey beans. "You gotta' be careful with those." Ron warned. "When they say 'every flavor' they mean it. I got a pepper flavored one once and my mouth burned for 20 minutes. Fred swears he got a bogey flavored one once."

"This one's pretty good. It's peppermint, and the first one was butter scotch." Harry popped another brown bean in his mouth and spit it right back out. "AUG! Dirt."

Both boys were howling with laughter when a round faced boy with a rather sad look on his face stuck his head in the door. "Anyone seen an escaped toad?"

"No." Harry stifled a laugh because the kid looked so glum. "But we have some chocolate frogs." Ron couldn't hold it in .

"Oh, come on in and cheer up. I'm sure it will turn up." Ron spluttered.

"Sure it will." Harry added. "We have loads of snacks and need some help getting them all eaten. Then we'll help. Ron, you think your rat might like any of this stuff."

Ron looked a little sheepish. "Well, I guess I hadn't ought to laugh about a toad when I have a useless rat for a pet."

Soon the three boys were laughing and chasing a chocolate frog until it jumped out the. window. "Tough luck there, Harry. They only have about one good jump in them, but it isn't the candy you want. Each one has a card with a famous wizard on it. I have about a hundred of them, I guess." as Ron bit the head off the wiggling candy he had.

"Navel Longbottom. Anyone in here called Navel Longbottom?" A bushy haired girl stuck her head in their compartment.

"That's me." the round faced boy said around bite of a pastry.

"There's a prefect in the next car that found a toad and told me to find a boy named Navel Longbottom and let him know he had his frog in a box in the prefect's car at the front of the train, and you could get him when the train gets to Hogsmeed."

"Oh, thank goodness. I've looked everywhere for Traver." Navel said swallowing a mouth full of pastry.

"Hmmm." The girl snipped with her nose a bit in the air. "Looks more like you're chowing down with these two."

"I've been hunting everywhere and these two, as you call them, were going to help."

"We wer...?" Ron started. But Harry stepped on his toes. "Yes! We wer." He finished. "Just as soon as we finish up this stash of candy for Harry, here."

The girl looked a Harry for the first time and noticed the scar on his forehead. "Good heavens! You're Harry Potter." She exclaimed.

"I know I am."

"You are in all those extra history books I got on wizzarding history - The rise and fall of the Dark Arts; Recent Events in Magical History; Hogwarts - A History..."

Harry cut her off. "I know I am, but those books all talk like I did something special. I can't even remember that night. It was all something my Mum did by protecting me, or at least that's what Professor Dumbledore thinks. It isn't something to be proud of for me."

"Well, I guess if you put it that way, you're right. But it says you are the only one ever to survive the killing curse."

"Who wants to be known as 'The Boy Who Live' at the cost of their Mum and Dad?" Harry stated. "Certainly not me."

The girl's face flushed. "Well, I didn't mean that just the way it came out."

"Well it gets to be tedious with everyone gawking at my scar and wanting to know what I'm going to do for act two. I'd just rather be known as Harry. And forget about the bleeding scar."

"Well, I suppose that's reasonable. By the way, I'm Hermeon Grangert."

"Harry Potter at your service. This is Ron Weesley. And I just found out that Traver's owner here is Nevil Longbottom."

The door popped the rest of the way open about then and two rather large boys flanked a rather skinny blonde kid with a sneer on his face. "Harry Potter, is it? I heard he'd be on the train this year from my father. Lucious Malfoy." the blonde kid stated with an air that what he said made it so.

Harry did a double take at the pretentious berk. "I know you, you're the idiot at the zoo that gave the obleviator squad such a headache back in June. What'd you go shouting about parcel mouths about all over the reptile house for. You dam near caused a full scale riot when you shoved me and I accidently moved the glass front to that Boa Constrictor's cage. I can tell you that Rufus Scringeour bloke was not pleased. And the last I heard they were still looking for the snake."

Draco's face turned a beet red. Quite a contrast to his blond white hair and even paler complection, it was The boys one either side of Draco began to snicker. "Draco, that was you! We heard about that from my cousin who works in the ministry. They were furious." the boy on the left said. "She pulled three straight nights of overtime including her fifth wedding anniversary with the extra paperwork that stunt caused. They were chasing muggles all over London for weeks to control the damage to the Statute of Secrecy, and Harry, you said that was Draco! Wow, that makes me getting seen by that old drunk on my brother's broom in Liver Pool seem tame. You laughed at me for days, Draco, after I couldn't sit down the next day after father's razor strap got through with my butt. Oh, this is priceless. Wait 'till I tell Pansy."

The boy on the other side of Draco began to double over he was laughing so hard.

"Shut it, Crab!" Malfoy spat.

"Oh, sure thing, O great snake charmer!" he managed to get out between laughing fits.

I'm Vincent Crabb and my doubled over friend there is Gregory Goill. So you're the Harry Potter that suppose to be walking on water according to the Prophet. Good to see you have a since of humor even if it is at Draco here's expense."

Draco's embarrassment was turning to rage in the space of a few hart beats. Gregory finally got his voice. "Oh, calm down Draco. You're just pissed you didn't think of that for a prank." Gregory looked at the other. "Draco here wants us to think the sun shines out his bum. Well it don't. Draco, if you can't laugh at yourself don't laugh at others."

Draco whirled and stumbled, then grabbed the door and slammed it on his way out shouting something about Mud Bloods and Blood traitors.

"Well, Vincent and Gregory is it?" Ron asked. "Harry, here, still has some chocolate frogs and pastries here he's trying to finish. We're all stuffed. This is Hermonnie Granger. Her and Nave Longbottom here have been involved in the 'Great Trevor Hunt' all afternoon. Glad to say that problem has been solved. The miscreant toad is in the custody of the prefects in a secured facility in the prefect's car and doesn't get paroled until the train stops. So we're having an impromptu party. Care to join?"

A couple of girls poked there heads in as a game of exploding snaps was, well, exploding. One was a pretty 2nd year named Cho Chang. Another was a rather quiet first year named Susan Bones. It seems that Harry wasn't the only one that had extra food. The twins showed up along with Lee Jordan, minus the two foot hairy legged spider. It seemed the head girl had confiscated it with a rather nifty freezing charm. Ron visibly relaxed when he heard that bit of news. It was now imprisoned with the wayward toad in the prefect's car. Lee muttered after George and Fred tag teamed the tale, "If she wasn't so dam cute when she's mad I'd be mad too."

The party went on another hour with lots of nice kids sticking their head in and out to see what was going on and to say they hoped Harry had a good year. Harry was beginning to feel a little better about his notoriety as everyone seemed to be friendly enough and he began to realize it wasn't all bad being someone everyone knew. All he had to do was be himself and enjoy the company and most folks were nice. He did have a feeling that a few thought they were better than others because of the happen chance of their birth, but Professor McGonnigal had warned him about that attitude and sort of felt that the ones he met with that attitude weren't the sharpest crayons in the box. Definitely not the brightest, either.

Someone looked out a window and exclaimed. "Hay, it's getting dark and I don't have my robe on yet. Old Snape will clean our clocks if we show up the least bit sloppy. I'm out of here!"

With that the party came to a screeching halt and the business of getting themselves all spiffy for the Welcoming Feast and Sorting got started in earnest.

The girls were invited into the next compartment by Hanna Abbot and Susan Bones. Harry and Ron told Navel he could change in their compartment. "Good! My trunk and stuff are in the next car. I'm in with the Granger girl, a 5th year prefect, and two others. The estrogen level in that compartment reminds me of one of my Gram's hen parties, as she calls them. I'll run up and get what I need." and off he ran.


	7. Chapter 7 That's One Big Dude

**A/N A special thanks to Tentrees who, out of the blue, thought my story worth while and did a wonderful job as a beta. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! **

**The next chapter Harry starts effecting a change in the normal flow of things at Hogwarts. Warning: After the next chapter do not get in a hurry for updates. I've been reading a very good story I found after I had planned this one out. I guess great minds run amuck together because many of the ideas that story puts forth I was planning to use. Here I thought I was an original thinker. It doesn't affect the eventual outcome of my story that much but I'm going to rethink the outline so they don't use parallel ideas. This might take a while. I am not on a fast track like the other story. The story is ****Trust is a Relative Thing****. Yes, I know it was started long before I started this, but I just discovered it early last week. If you haven't read it, it is a good one. Also, this chapter is shorter than originally planned. The changes begin in chapter 8. **

**Chapter 7**

** That's One Big Dude!**

One could tell the first years by the fact that they didn't have house patches on their robes. Harry noticed two first year boys getting off the train as he heard Hagrid calling at the top of his voice. A voice that match his size, by the way. Seamus Finnegan turned with Ernie McMillan

(Ron and Harry later learned their names at the sorting) to gasp at the huge half giant.

Seamus exclaimed in his Irish brogue, "WOW! That's one big dude!"

Harry laughed and slapped the boy on the back. "Let me introduce you to Rubius Hagrid, Keeper of Grounds and Keys at Hogwarts, and our escort to the castle. He's also a right nice bloke."

"Well, thank ye thar Harry. 'Taint often a firs year introduces me." He turned to the other first years who were beginning to gather. "Leave them trunks and cages on the platform if you missed the announcement on the train. Your luggage 'ill be carried up to the castle fer you." He bellowed in a deep commanding voice. "First years, FOLLOW ME!" And off they headed down a rather steep path lined with thick trees. As they rounded a curve in the trail down they got their firs look at the fantastic castle all lit up and magnificent looking.

"Oh! MY! GOODNESS!" Croaked out Hermione as she caught up with Harry and Ron. "It's better than I ever imagined! Hogwarts, A History, didn't do it justice."

"That's pretty cool." Ron agreed.

"Cool doesn't begin to half describe it. That's magnificent!" she huffed.

"Harry, isn't that what I said?"

Harry was too busy hanging his mouth open to reply.

There was a fleet of little boats lined up on the shore line tied to a narrow walk way/dock affair along the edge of the glassy looking lake they apparently were going to cross to get to the castle.

"No more than 4 to a boat." Hagrid called. "In you get!"

Hagrid, still holding the lantern he was holding on the platform, climbed into the boat by himself at the end of the line and waived his umbrella. The boats all untied themselves, made a right turn in unison, and headed off under their own power toward the castle. The lake was glassy smooth and the lights on the castle repeated themselves in the reflection in the lake. The stars were all out and a 3/4 moon hung over the castle. It was quite impressive.

Soon Hagrid was calling "Duck! All Duck Now!" as they slid under a bank of ivy into what looked to be a natural harbor hollowed out in the bottom of the cliff just below the castle. The boats slid up on a sandy beach just far enough to allow the children to step off the front of the boats keeping their feet dry. Across the little beach they went and up a few steps hewn out of the rocks and into what appeared to be a cavern under the castle wide and tall enough for Hagrid to walk upright and the kids to walk three abreast up a set of stairs into a chamber with a big wooden door and knocker.

The kids all gathered in the chamber. Then Hagrid thumped the knocker on the door three loud raps. The door creaked open to reveal the rather stern looking witch Harry knew to be professor McGonagal in emerald green robes with a Scottish plaid scarf around her neck and a tall pointed hat.

"I have some first years here who wish to be sorted." Hagrid stated.

"Thank you Hagrid. I am Professor McGonagal." She proclaimed. "Do come in."

They entered what appeared to be an entry way through a side door. To the right were two enormous dark wooden doors that were closed to the outdoors and secured with wide mettle bands. To the left were two somewhat smaller doors, but no less impressive due to the ornate carvings. There seemed to be a buzzing of several hundred voices coming from the other side.

"You will wait here until called while I go in to assure that all is ready." the stern witch said and she disappeared through the smaller doors.

As about 30 to 35 first years stood there, whispers were beginning to pop up as some were telling what older siblings had told them to expect. The stories ranged from the fanciful to the gruesome. As nerves were beginning to be stretched tight Harry jumped and let out a gasp. A cold clammy breeze seemed to go right through the students as a number of clouds seemed to float right through them headed for the far wall. Harry snatched off his glasses and rubbed them vigorously with his robe. It had to be a trick of the light on dirty lenses. The clouds looked somewhat like people. Sure enough, when he jammed his glasses back on his face there were iridescent and translucent human shapes floating through the chamber that were talking to each other. Ghosts! The professors clearly hadn't told him everything, especially about the ghosts. A pudgy looking floating man pointed to the children. "Look, it's the new crop of first years waiting to be sorted."

"Oh, I do hope Gryffindor gets a better crop than we've managed for the last few years. The Red Barron is getting insufferable to live with now that Slytherin has won the cup the last three years." stated a tall stately ghost wearing a high ruff collar seemingly to stabilize a wobbly head.

Just then Professor McGonagal returned and shooed the ghosts on through the far wall so they could get the sorting started.

"Now then, you are about to be sorted into your houses. They will remain your houses throughout the time you are at Hogwarts. Your houses are like your families. Your successes will win your houses house points. Any misbehavior or rule breaking will cause your house to lose points. There are four houses, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Look smart now and follow me." she instructed.

They formed up a two by two line and entered the great hall. There were four long tables with chattering students and a somewhat shorter table at the far end where a number of adults were seated all facing the students. They looked awe struck as they all noticed the hall was lit with hundreds of floating candles and the ceiling seemed to disappear into the night sky.

"The ceiling is charmed to look just like the sky outside. I read about it in 'Hogwarts, A History'" they could hear Hermione saying to the girl walking beside her.

Ron rolled his eyes and Harry couldn't imagine the nerve to say anything at this point.

Professor McGonagal turned to the head table. "The first years are here to be sorted, Headmaster."

"Very good, Professor McGonagal." stated a rather tall elderly man with a long white beard that was tucked into a belt at his waist and holding together robes of a brilliant blue satin material decorated with stars and crescent moons. The ensemble was completed with a pair of wire rimmed spectacles that covered twinkling blue eyes and a matching pointed hat. Professor Dumbledore was clearly enjoying the ceremony.

Harry knew the man to be Professor Albus Dumbledore. "Mr. Filch, if you please."

Mr. Filch was an odd looking old man (only way Harry could think to describe the old guy.) He carried out a rather tall stool. Perched on the stool was an old and battered looking pointed hat that had a definite list and had definitely seen better days.

Filch placed the stool in front of the head table and retired to the anti-chamber that he had entered from.

The hat then opened what seemed to be a tare along the brim and burst into song. (See HPSS - book 1). When he finished the hall erupted in cheers and the hat seemed to take a slight bow by nodding toward each of the four house tables. The deputy head mistress stepped back beside the stool and the hall went quiet again.

"When your name is called you will come forward and sit on the stool. You will place the sorting hat on your head and wait until the hat calls your name" Professor McGonagal announced.


	8. Chapter 8 I'll Look In Your Head

**Chapter 8**

**The Sorting Hat**

** I'll Look In Your Head**

"Hanna Abbot." Professor McGonagal read from a scroll she was carrying.

A rather frightened girl came out of the group of first years that had gathered in a large semi circle around Professor McGonagal and the stool. She climbed onto the stool and the professor placed the hat on her head. It slid down over her ears and forehead only stopping as it reached the bridge of her nose. A brief pause, then the hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Hanna was then guided toward the near table to the left where the older students with yellow and black scarf's broke into vigorous applause.

On the sorting went. The hat paused a little in some cases and a bit longer in others. When it got to Hermione Granger it seemed to almost chuckle as it called out GRYFFINDOR.

When the hat got to Neville Longbottom the hat pause a bit longer before calling out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

At the name of Draco Malfoy the blond boy from the train episode concerning the hurrah at the zoo stepped up to the stool. The professor began to lower the hat over the boy's head. Before she could release the hat, it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" The kid gave a triumphant smirk and sprinted off to the table on the far right of the hall.

The two Patil twin girls were sorted. One, Padma, went to Ravenclaw. The other, Parvati, went to GRYFFINDOR. Then it was "Harry Potter."

The crowd became quiet as everyone knew the name and hoped the famous boy would be in their house. The hat sat for a long time on Harry's head.

When the hat was placed on his head Harry was holding his breath. "Better breath, young man. There's a problem here I have never seen before. Hmmmm." Then out loud, "Headmaster, a word."

Albus Dumbledore removed his own hat and with a bewildered look on his face made his way around the table to Professor McGonagal's side. She lifted the hat from Harry's head motioning for him to remain on the stool and handed the hat to the headmaster who then placed it on his own head.

"Have you ever done this before?" Was the immediate question in the headmaster's mind.

"No!' retorted the hat. "And I hope I never do it again. I see everything in a child's mind and I keep it to myself - Always - until now. I pride myself in my discretion, but my duty has been rocked to my core today. I have and haven't sorted this young man before."

"That doesn't make any sense." The headmaster thought.

"I know, but it is true! There is a parasite inside that young man's head and it isn't a very benevolent one. It appears to be a portion, at least, of a soul I sorted over 50 years ago. I was troubled about the sorting of that young man and I know you were concerned about what he later became. But here he is again and only about 40 years beyond in age from when I last sorted him. Most troubling. My best bet is that it is a soul fragment left over from the rebounding killing curse that failed to kill Harry Potter."

The headmaster seemed to sag under a heavy weight. "This would explain a great deal. There are rumors of Tom's presence in Albania. Is it possible for that to be also."

"Yes, very possible. This is a small fragment of sole and unconscious much as he was left upon the impact the original curse had. My bet is that when Harry goes through puberty, which won't be long now, the fragment will wake. There is no telling what effect this could have on the boy. He is bright enough to be in Ravenclaw and loyal enough to be a Hufflepuff, but I'd put him in GRYFFINDOR if I had my druthers. It would be one of those cases where a strong preference would make all the difference. But this could be a tragic complication if this fragment is awakened before the boy can handle it. The malice in the mind of that 11 year old was the strongest I'd ever seen and over the following 40 + years you cannot imagine how malignant it has become. It would make me sick at my stomach if I had one. The term is Horcrux and it is a most evil affliction."

"I am aware of the term and how one is created. Now you think there is more than one?"

"Oh yes, several. I would judge by the size of this one it would be one of six or seven. No way to tell for sure without legilimency when woken."

"This is most distressing. How long do you think we have?"

"I would hazard a guess that Harry is about a year, maybe eighteen months, from beginning puberty. Boys especially go through that change at different rates. Perhaps two years before hormonal changes trigger the horcrux awake."

"Are you aware of the prophecy made concerning Harry Potter?"

"I am aware of some of the conversations you have had in your office with Severus Snape concerning the prophecy made by Sybil Trelawney. Is that what you are referring to?"

"One and the same. As you probably know, I don't hold much store in prophecies, but I can assure you that Tom Riddle holds a great deal of credence in them. He committed two murders that night on his way to attempt a third against Harry because he heard part of that prophecy."

"You have been warned now. What do you suggest I do about Harry. You have your work cut out for you. You have absolutely no time left for this young man to be a boy. He'll have to learn to protect his mind and for one this young, it could take everything you can throw at the problem for him to be able to keep his identity intact and in control."

"Put him where you think is best. I'll think about what I should do."

"No, no. There is no time for thinking. Every day you waste not preparing the boy will come back to haunt you. What you must do is crystal clear. You should begin tonight. Tom clearly has other means to revive himself and if one of them surfaces before you get done cogitating there will be no help for the boy."

"I know of only two occlumens in the school, myself and Severus."

"Well, two on this project will help. I see your head is reasonably clear of distractions. You have found a way to suppress your rather too high opinion of your judgment as a result of your sister's, tragedy. Oh, come on, I see everything in here. Close your mouth, a bug might hop in. It's a good thing now, you know. You have the wisdom not to make the mistakes you made then. They would doom this task. I think, however, after what Severus has been through with the boy's mother and father, I better see how he is coping with the boy's return." With that the hat went silent in the headmaster's mind.

With a reluctant sigh he removed the hat. Turning to the staff table. "Severus, the hat would like a word." With that he passed the hat to the potions professor.

"Aw, Severus. It's been a long time." greeted the hat.

"Not long enough, I fear." Severus retorted.

"Now, now. If I had sorted you with the lions, James and you would have been at each others throat over that Ms. Evans. It was not in your nature at the time to make the compromises necessary to make that match work when James had already set his mind on her. It was her decision and there was a bond potential there that was undeniable." Instruct the hat. "But rehashing old decisions is not what I'm here for tonight. I need to look in your head and see how you've dealt with the deaths of Lilly and James and what consequences would occur if what the headmaster is contemplating brings you into the situation before us."

"There was a time I didn't think I could deal with anything to do with any part of James. Just look at Harry there. He's the spitting image of the git. But I've gotten to know the kid. He's a bit impulsive, but very bright and a quick study and very much like his mother, thankfully."

"I see your opinion has undergone a great deal of change, but it is going to have to undergo a radical revision once again. You need to realize that he is also as much James' son as he is Lilly's. When he goes through puberty he is going to need the dynamic aspect of James' as much as he needs what you see of Lilly in him. To do what has to be done you have to get him to bring out James' determination, quick wittedness - the part of him that made his the force behind the 'marauders'. What we need is Sirius Black as well as yourself, and you have to, not just burry the animosity, but eliminate it. Black must do the same thing for you to make this work.

"Black's in Azkaban! Exactly where he belongs!"

"That's what I'm talking about. I know that it is as much out of Black's character to do what he is accused of as you forgiving yourself for the death of Lilly is out of your character. We, however, don't have time for all that crap. Sirius has not had a trial! You know the truth of that statement and what it means. You also know the horrors of that fool island where they are holding him. You also know the power of veritaserum and the improvements you yourself have made on its reliability and freedom from impurities your brewing techniques have accomplished. It is now to the point that any wizarding court will except a 'Snape brewed' batch as conclusive proof of innocence. It's time he had his trial and time you insisted justice be done. Look at your left forearm. He can and will return, and soon, and it won't be just the boy he is after."

"How can that be..."

The hat cut him off. "I've seen an unconscious horcrux made by Tom Riddle - The Dark Lord - Voldemort - whatever you want to call him - in the boy's head attached to the scar. It is every bit as dangerous now as the dark lord was ten years ago. He will wake and possess the boy as soon as adolescence gets a good hold on him if he can't be trained to fight it NOW. You have the know how to find a way to trap the fragment. Look to the properties in Lilly's protection of the boy. It was old magic dealing with the giving of a mother's life to save her child. Look it up. Find Voldemort's weakness. He can't touch the boy. Isolate him. Force him out and trap him. There has to be a way."

"You don't ask much." Snape groaned.

"You made that commitment ten years ago. This is what it will take. Now let me speak to that new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." And the hat went silent again.

Severus removed the hat and handed it back to the headmaster. "Well, this is different. It seems the hat has taken a break from sorting students and now is intent on sorting out faculty. Professor Quirrell, the hat would like to speak to you. If you please."

The new DADA professor got up from his end of the table. "M-me. Y-you m-must b-be m-mistaken."

"No mistake!" shouted the hat. "If you please. Remove that turban so I can fit over your head."

The professor make his way toward the center of the table until he was told to remove the turban. I-I c-can't d-d-do t-that. It holds my medications. It can't be removed." and he started to back up.

Just then he backed opposite from the half giant. Hagrid easily reached across the table and clamped a trash can lid sized hand on the DADA professor's slim shoulders. "Hold on there, professor, don't leave just yet. We all take the oath when we agree to work here at Hogwarts to give assistance when the castle asks for it. The hat is in need of your help. If it needs you to take off that turban, it will have considered how to keep you healthy."

"You don't understand. I won't remove it for anyone." and as he spoke his wand appeared in his hand. However, before his fingers could close on it the wand was flying in a graceful arc toward the diminutive charms professor. Professor Flitwick deftly caught the wand in hand not firmly grasping his own wand. "Professor, you forgot something there about thirty seconds ago, didn't you? Your stutter, perhaps?"

Without his wand the professor was effectively pinned in the gamekeeper's grasp. Professor Flitwick added a pratificus totalus charm. "Hagrid, you can relax."

As the big man loosened his grip a scream could be heard coming from the back of the professor's head an muffled under the turban. "You fool! Get out of here!" But it was too late. The professor had effectively turned to stone except for the frantic darting back and forth of his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9An Unbreakable Unspeakable Oath

**Chapter 9**

**An Unbreakable Unspeakable Oath**

Almost instantly the DADA professor was incased in what appeared to be a glass cylinder conjured by the headmaster. "Minerva, please summons Madam Bones and have her bring a high security team of Aurors with her immediately to my office via flue - code red! When you have done that I want you and the head boy and girl to secure the unsorted first years in the hospital wing." With a flick of his wand everyone could hear the castle securing all entrances. "Prefects, organize your students. Account for every last person in your houses. The senior prefect's list for each house now includes each sorted first year. See to it every name on that list is in your common room as soon as possible. Move! Now!"

With deliberate speed the prefects began a practice routine to evacuate all their house students to their common rooms. The remaining first years at the front of the hall were directed through the chamber off the head table. As each child entered the room he or she was met by a house elf and the child and elf vanished with a pop to reappear in a locked and barricaded hospital wing of the castle. When the dozen or so first years were safely ensconced with Madam Pomphrey and the head boy and girl, Professor McGonagal took the hand of the nearest house elf and said, "please return me to the great hall, immediately.. Thank you!"

With a pop they vanished to reappear by the side of Albus Dumbledore. "I have secured all first years in the hospital wing."

"Very good. Have Twinkle here, I believe, apparate you directly to your common room and wait until all your students are accounted for. Then meet me in my office. The pass word is bubble gum. Professor Sinestra, will you please go with house elf Tomlin here and substitute for Professor Snape in Slytherin's common room. Madam, Hooch, you are with Eddie here. Go to Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff has already been taken care of. Professor Snape and Flitwick are moving Quirrell and associate as we speak to my office. I will send them to their respective common rooms when we have secured things. Sybil, will you please go to the Hufflepuff common room and tell Professor Sprout to meet me in my office as soon as her house is secure. You can take Lulu here to apparate. Thank you. The rest of the faculty, please pair up and make rounds of the castle to make sure no intruders can enter."

With that everyone headed to their assigned tasks. "Mr. Filch. Take Teddy here and have him take you to the castle's time room. I want a to the second report of how long it takes each house to account for and secure each common room. Addie, as senior elf, please see to it each house has provisions for their evening meals."

Addie bowed. "It is my great pleasure to sees to it Hogwarts students is properly cared for this troubled night."

"Addie. I truly believe the trouble has been contained. Please express my appreciation to all the house elves for their prompt acknowledgment of the emergency protocols. Your response was most impressive."

"Thank youes Headmasters, Sirs, I be proud to serves and pass your kind words on." With that the little elf vanished.

Albus then seemed to relax a bit and began to walk purposely toward the entrance to his office on the third floor. As he approached the spiral staircase the stone gargoyles jumped aside and the headmaster took the stairs directly to his office. As he arrived the fireplace on the far wall flashed white as a security identification screen was activated. Then it turned the familiar green and a middle aged witch in crisp ministry robes emerged. Her hair was quite frazzled.

"Damn these screening ID wards. I just came from the hairdresser this afternoon. It will take three days for the static electricity to dissipate from one of those wards. I wish the Unspeakables would refine it a bit to leave our hair do's alone. What is this all about. With that a younger witch sporting a bubble gum pink hair-do in perfect order emerged with wand drawn followed by a large black man with a gold ear ring and an elderly man with an artificial leg and an madly revolving glass eye on one side of a predominant nose with rather a large chunk missing from the other side of the nose.

"What we got here, Albus?" the last man through enquired. "I love it when we get to pass through the new wards. He then spotted the cylinder hovering a foot above the floor with the petrified form of the DADA professor incased. "My, my!" he exclaimed. "This is probably the best containment field I've ever seen up close that I didn't cast myself, of course. Nymphadora, please take a look at this field. Note the integrity and power curve it uses while keeping the occupant in stasis greatly reducing by over 99.9% the need for oxygen to survive. Albus, it's yours, I presume. Who's the lucky recipient of this most advanced bit of conjuration?

"Alistair, Madam Bones, Kingsley, Tonks..."

"At least someone can remember how to address me" the witch with the bubble gum pink hair-do huffed.

"...Thank you for your prompt response." Professor Dumbledore said.

"Albus, when those klaxons go off at headquarters, there isn't much else can be done. That's what your system is all about." the grizzled older man retorted. "Now what's this all about?"

Severus Snape picked up the response. "There was a bit of excitement tonight during the sorting. The hat has quite a tale to relate. Because of the nature of the matter, by Wizengamot order of 1981, I have to ask everyone's wizard's oath that these matters discussed in this room remain only with those in this room and the unspeakable panel I have sent for approves may be made aware of what we discuss. "

Then the fire flared white and green again as three hooded figures came through the headmaster's fireplace. "Your oaths, if you please." Each member immediately in turn took the oath binding their magic and their life to contain the matters discussed to those approved.

The headmaster brought out the pensive and placed his memory of the nights sorting as Harry Potter was sorted. A grave appearance clouded each face as the impact of the horcrux possibility met each individual.

When it was finished Professor Dumbledore said, "I believe we have here a fragment of Tom Riddle's sole - known to his followers as Voldemort and by many in the wizarding world as 'He who must not be named'. I believe it is the fragment that escaped the night Lilly and James Potter were murdered. My investigations at the time indicated that Tom sought ways to become immortal at any cost." He handed a scroll of parchment to each person in the room. "This is a description of a Horcrux from the restricted text, Magic Most Fowl. While not complete in this instance, it accurately describes what the sorting hat encountered when sorting Harry Potter. Severus, please relate what the hat told you."

"The boy will need to immediately begin a crash course in occlumency to seal his mind from the intruder. The scar on his forehead is where the horcrux is bound to Mr. Potter. It must be isolated and destroyed and soon. Currently the fragment is unconscious and has no effect on Mr. Potter, however, the hat is convinced, and I concur, that when the hormonal changes caused by puberty occur it will waken the fragment. Its ability to corrupt and influence the boy cannot be overestimated. It is dark and a very evil bit of magic intended to revive Tom and return him to a very powerful and dangerous body. The fragment we have here trapped in the DADA professor's body is the last one created and we think it was left when the curse intended to kill Harry Potter rebounded on the caster. Harry, himself, carries a piece of the soul rendered unconscious. That means, according to the sorting hat's calculation, there are four to five of the things still out there."

Dumbledore then picked up the story again. "I have done a great deal of study concerning Tom's murky past. He was head boy under Headmaster Dibbert and a very talented and promising student. However he never pursued a career as such in either the ministry or business. He took his one and only job at Borgan and Berk's in Knockturn alley . From there he is rarely heard of until he return to seek a position from me at Hogwarts as the DADA instructor. He was visibly angry with me when I declined his request, but I don't think that was the only reason he returned to the school. A horcrux can be contained in most any object, living or inanimate. It is unadvisable to put one in a living thing as it is then tied to the life of the thing it is contained in. One way to kill the horcrux is to kill the host. That is an unacceptable solution. It would also prove to be a pointless solution. Until all the horcrux are discovered and destroyed, killing the others will not solve the problem."

Severus spoke again. "The hat believes, and I believe it is possible, that a way can be devised to force the fragment out of Harry Potter and then destroy it without harming Harry. When it wakes it will try to reach out and touch it's container. The magic Lilly Potter invoked when she sacrificed herself for her child makes it fatal for him to come into contact with the boy. At this point the horcrux must flee Harry's body or be destroyed. Problem is, destruction in that manner will in all likelihood destroy the host. There may be a way, according to the hat, to create a potion that will ensnare and contain the fragment involuntarily until it can be destroyed separately. That is what I believe we are up against. Any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated."

Madam Bones began, "You said three or four. How can one tell if you have them all?"

"That's a very good question." Professor Snape responded. "I am hoping that when we isolate and contain the one tied to Mr. Potter we can obtain the information from the last fragment through the use of Veritaserum as it should have that information. Also, if Tom's wand can be located it will be possible to verify the spells cast in reverse order."

"This is all well and good, except we don't know how to trap the fragment, and has anyone ever communicated with a Horcrux? Or, finally, Where is Voldemort's wand?" the Head of Magical Law Enforcement retorted.

"I think Serious Black could possibly help us there." the school's Potions Master said.

A stony silence followed. Finally Kingsley spoke. "You think a convicted mass murderer will just tell us where to find Voldemort's wand? All we have to do is ask?"

"That's not completely true there, laddy, is it Madam." Mad Eye Moody stated.

Madam bones ran a hand through her frazzled hair. "Not completely, Mr. Moody. You know very well I have been pushing the Minister to bring the Black matter to the Wizengamot for many years now."

"Haven't managed that feat too well with old Fudge, have you."

"No. All I have is a pile of unanswered memos."

"It's time to quit requesting and time to demand results." Professor Snape insisted.

"I, myself gave a deposition, Severus, you are the last person I expected to speak on Mr. Blacks behalf." Professor Dumbledore said.

Professor Snape snatched the hat off it's shelf and flung it at the headmaster. "You listen to the hat then and come up with a better idea. Go ahead, ask it!"

Professor Dumbledore placed the hat back on his head. "We're a bit stymied here." he thought.

"No trial, no interrogation, no veritaserum, totally out of his character. I told you all of this ten years ago and have repeated it on several occasions. Now we have a piece of the devil you have been warning everyone about that I, by the way, am totally responsible for detecting, that you should have known about before he got in the castle, and you stand there dithering while a man rots in that hell hole that YOU know shouldn't exist with no trial. I'm! Not! The! Slow! One! Here! Neither is Severus. At least he can put two and two together and come up with the fact that they are related and that another wrong heaped on wizard kind won't make a right."

In a tired voice the headmaster said, "Addie"

One quick pop later, "The Headmasters sent for Addie?'

"Yes I did, Addie. Please go to the main hall and bring the hat's stool. The hat wants to tell us something."

"Get that imbecile, Cornelius Fudge, in here as well." The hat ordered. "We might as well start from the top."

"I'll put in a call to have Minister Fudge come through the flu while Addie brings us the stool." the headmaster said out loud.

"Hold on." said the head of the unspeakable team. "We must approve all who are in on this and that political hack will twist this bit of information to his own ends somehow."

The headmaster hand the hat to the unspeakable. "Talk to the hat."

She pulled back the hood of her cloak to reveal a young woman the headmaster knew to be the head girl from five years ago. "Very well."

The hat remained on her head about five seconds when she snatched it off. About then the elf returned with the stool. "Minister Fudge is approved." The young woman said with a groan.

The headmaster walked over to the fireplace and put in his call to "Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, Ministry of Magic."

"Not now, Albus." came a curt reply. "I am running late for a department head meeting with Madam Bones."

"Minister, I think you will find that meeting has been canceled."

"I called the meeting. Only I can cancel it."

Madam Bones stepped over the fireplace so that the Minister could clearly see her. "Well then cancel it then and get yourself over to the headmaster's office right away. We have a situation here that you must be made aware of immediately."

"Okay, okay. Step back. I'll get Ms. Umbridge, my assistant, to come with me and we'll be right there."

A third person stepped to the fireplace. "No you won't." said the lead unspeakable. "This is a need to know matter from the unspeakable office. We need you now with no delay."

Minister fudge picked up his lime green bowler had from the hat tree and grabbed his cloak. With a deep scowl he stomped through the fire place. "I'm just about fed up with your office ordering me around. I am going to prepare a order for the Wizengamot to resend that order compelling the Minister of Magic to come every time you people snap your fingers. What's to point of being Minister if you can be ordered around like a puppet."

Then the minister began to look around at the crowd gathering in the headmaster's office. "What's going on here. Don't all these high paid Ministry and school employees have any work to do?"

The hat had been placed on the stool and could now speak out loud to the assembled group. "Cornelius Fudge, I tried to get you to listen to me forty years ago at your sorting. I see you are no better at listening now than you were then. I know what's in your head and it's rattling around in there way to much. You are going to have to listen to this. Take a look at the two faced individual the headmaster has placed in that very impressive field and tell me who you see."

The minister turned to notice the DADA professor for the first time. "That's Professor Quirrell. I recommended him to Albus for consideration. He's..."

"Not the front of his head. Heavens, didn't I say two faced?"

With that the headmaster rotated the hovering cylinder so the back of the professor's head was toward the minister.

Blood drained from the minister's face. "HIM! It's Him! What sort of trick is this?"

"It is no trick." Madam Bones relayed. "We've seen pensive evidence. Now an wizard oath is required of you to keep this matter secret."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then, unspeakable number one here is authorized her by standing rule 13 of the Wizengamot to obliviate all memories of this meeting. As it will have to be quite thoroughly performed, I'd be concerned about any surrounding memories you might be wishing would remain in tact, like how that cow, Umbridge, keeps her job."

With that the oath was taken, all be it reluctantly, and everyone turned to the stool. "Well, send him through the pensive to bring him up to speed. Do I have to tell you everything.?"

Minerva appeared to crack a bit of a smile and addressed the hat. "You are enjoying this, aren't you."

"I've been warning you about your lackadaisical adherence to tried and true morality, about house unity, uniform enforcement of rules, ignoring legal principals for expedience sake, and, yes, I am enjoying this situation. It took an enchanted hat confined to a shelf in this office, allowed to speak to the school once a year from a stool to bring this society's appalling short sightedness to everyone who could do something about it. Now I have your attention, I'm not about to let it go until this mess is resolved. Severus there is getting with the program. You, Minerva, are very talented and could really help him if the two of you would quit worrying about one upping each other's house and get down to the business of getting that very bright and promising boy with the funny scar a way out of this predicament. He is a child, you see. Such promise they all show at that age. Too often wasted. Too often ignored. Not this time."

"Well, you have our attention and our oaths. Will you watch our efforts?".

"I have one more active part in this saga, Minerva McGonagal. I have to warn Harry Potter about what is about to happen to him. Will you bring him in now."

"Oh no!" she cried. "He's just eleven. It would scar him for life just to dump this information on him."

"No. There's no other way. It has to be done and done now. The longer we wait the worse it will be. He is left stewing in his juices too long now. Do you think he is setting in that hospital wing with a big smile on his face."

"Well, no..."

"Exactly. You should know how bright that child is, and how quick he picks up on his surroundings. You've been with him the last almost ten years. You've always told him the truth. He trusts you and Professor Snape to keep him up to date and safe. Now is when it pays off. Don't let him down. He'll know immediately if something is off. He may not know just what it is but he'll know it's big and he'll know it's about him and he'll want to know what's being done because it's him that it's being done to. I can tell you he will not stop until he figures it all out to his satisfaction. The best course you have is the truth and all of it. He is going to need you, and especially Petunia and Dudley added to this mix. It's his team. Ron and Ginny Weasley are on it as well, and there is one wild card in the mix already sorted into Gryffindor. She'll find out before the weak is up, I bet."

"Not the muggle born Granger girl is it. They were all together on the train."

"Yes, and the Longbottom boy will play a big part in it as well. But let's stick to Harry for right now."

"I see you're point, I guess. I just don't like it very much." Professor McGonagal complained.

"Well, it's going to happen and all their lives are going to change dramatically. Best get right to it."

"Oh, very well." Minerva said with a resigned tone.


	10. Chapter 10 The Little Rat

**A/N: I know, it has been too long. This chapter for some reason was difficult to write for me. I knew what needed to be there and where it was going. Getting there was the problem. It still doesn't flow just right to me but you get it anyway. **

**Also, someone asked about using oath instead of vow. My training is legal. These are legal proceedings Sirius Black is involved in. Vow takes on a religious or emotional meaning to me.**

**It will probably be two weeks at least before the next update. Business before pleasure. ****I'll be back if the creek don't rise.**

**Chapter 10**

**The Little Rat**

Minerva left with one of the house elves to apparate directly to the hospital wing as no apparition was possible inside Hogwarts except for elf apparition and the barricades put in place by the security protocols prevented any normal movement in or out of the hospital wing. Even Madam Pomphrey's floo had been sealed. All dormitories were similarly sealed as soon as the senior prefect in each house and the head of house or designated faculty stand-in were assured of total accounting for each student in their house and had countersigned the self-updating roster.

Minerva and her elf arrived in the hospital wing an instant after they left the headmaster's office. "Poppy, I need to speak with Harry Potter privately."

"Right. You can use the family visitation room." The healer answered.

"Thank you. Mr. Potter, please follow me." Professor McGonagal instructed.

When they reached the room the professor made a sweeping arc with her wand soundproofing the room. "Now, Mr. Potter. You are probably wondering what this is all about. Let me first say that time is of the essence. If you have any questions, please hold them until I am finished and I will answer them to the best of my ability."

She began from the time the unsorted students were hustled into the anti chamber. At the end of her narration she said. "Now, there is one aspect of this affair that you are not aware of. You know about Voldemort and his attempt on your life and about why living with your Aunt was so important for both you and your aunt's family. What I don't think you are aware of is that your mother and father had made other arrangements for your care with a magical god mother and god father. However, circumstances, we believed at the time, precluded either of those options. You met, I believe, young Mr. Longbottom on the train today. His mother was to be your godmother but was totally disabled by the attack of a Death Eater. Her husband was similarly disabled by the same attacker who is now in prison for her crimes."

"Your godfather was to be a young man who was your father's best friend at Hogwarts. He was not married at the time of your parent's death. He was believed to have been the 'secret keeper' for you and your parent's home that collapsed the night of their death. If that were true, he would have betrayed them to the dark lord. Through information I and the Ministry gained tonight that investigation will be reopened. Your god father was never tried for those crimes. I had assumed the legal proceedings were concluded before he was imprisoned. Evidently not. The sorting hat has a very deep insight into the character of the students in Hogwarts. He forms a connection with each student and through the magic in the castle maintains that connection. The hat is totally convinced that your godfather could not have betrayed your father. He will now get his trial as soon as his competency to stand trial can be determined.

"Now, after all that, do you have any questions?" she concluded.

"Wow, that is a lot to chew on. Tell me, what happened that caused my godfather too be arrested?" Harry asked.

"Good question. We believed at the time, and a number of witnesses seemed to have confirmed it, that a Mr. Peter Pettigrew, another of your fathers friends, tracked down your god father to a busy muggle neighborhood and in a fight was killed by him along with twelve muggles. All that was ever found of Peter's body was a finger from his left hand. Sirius Black, your god father, was captured on the spot as the Aururs were on high alert for battle curses and were dispatch as soon as the fighting broke out. They caught Black laughing at the edge of the crater left by the blast. That is about all I know. He was arrested and sent to Azkaban within the week."

"I see." said Harry. "And no trial was conducted?"

"No, and according to the hat, he was never interrogated and the investigation basically ended with his arrest."

"How could that have happened? We learned in muggle elementary school that everyone is entitled to a fair trial by a jury of their piers and a lawyer to represent them no matter what their crime. Does that not apply in the wizarding world?"

"It most certainly does. You have to remember that there was a lot of confusion at the end of the war with Voldemort. People were ecstatic that the war had finally ended. Most just assumed that the ministry did their job and no one checked to make sure it happened."

"For ten years it didn't happened? That's awful. Even if he did do it there needs to be a public record for my parent's sake, if nothing else."

"Harry, you are absolutely right. We will get to the bottom of this. But now we need to bring you up to date with what brought this all about. Because of your scar you will require some specialized training that the headmaster and Professor Snape need to discuss with you. You will first meet with the sorting hat to be sorted, finally, and then you and your head of house along with your guardian, will meet with Madam Bones, the head of Magical Law Enforcement, Alister Moody, senior Auror; Unspeakable Number 1, we don't know her name; Professor Snape; and Professor Dumbledore, probably first thing after breakfast in the morning. However, the first order of business is to get you all 'fed and watered,' as the headmaster likes to put it."

"Thank you. I think everyone in here is ready for that." With that the two of them returned to the ward with the rest of the remaining first year students. They were informed that they would be sorted as soon as things could be sorted out. The faculty, heads of each house, and the two 7th year prefects from each house would join them in the hospital wing after all students were fed in their dormitories and the sorting would recommence in the infirmary.

After dark, September 1, 1991, all lights except one candle at the end of each hall of the wizarding prison had been extinguished. It didn't extinguish the moans and general state of horror in the prison in the care of approximately 200 dementors. The hand-full of wizards assigned to monitor the guards activities were subjected to an unusual late evening summons. They were ordered by the office of the Minister of Magic himself to clean and dress Sirius Black for a visit from an investigative team from the Ministry.

Exactly one hour later a gaunt, but clean, dressed, and shaved Sirius Black was lead to a conference room in a low block building on the edge of the island near the access dock. He was compelled to sit in a chair where shackles had been attached to the arms an legs and his torso was secured with a lap belt and shoulder harness. He sat quietly. It was a relief of sorts. In this building there were shields from the dementors and for the first time in over a year he was completely free of the effects of the insidious creatures and had been given a bar of passably good chocolate.

After about a quarter hour the door opened. In walked Alistair Moody, Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Unspeakable number one, and Severus Snape.

"You!" croaked Sirius Black as Severus walked in. "Ten years of no visitors from the outside and I get you? God, someone up there really has it in for me."

"I would shut up and listen, Black, if I were you. A lot is riding on what happens tonight and I would not advise you pissing your chances and your god son's chances away because your mouth goes in motion before your brain goes in gear." Snape drawled.

At that, Black sat a little straighter. "I'm all ears, Professor, now is it?" replied Black. Then rattling his chains, he said. "Not much I can do in this rig anyway... Alister Moody, fancy seeing you out here. Slumming, are we."

"Best shut it, laddie, and pay close attention."

From a separate doorway a man with a white lab coat entered followed by the warden in his business robes. Sirius looked thunder struck. He had never seen the healer of this facility. He thought their only function was to pronounce an inmate dead or soulless.

The warden opened the meeting. "Sirius Black, you are here because the Ministry of Magic has discovered that no official proceeding was ever convene to make official your confinement for the crimes you are accused of. Our function here is to determine whether you are mentally competent to stand trial which includes the capability to understand the nature of the crimes you are charged with, whether you are able to understand the consequences should you be found guilty, and whether you are able to participate in your own defense. Should we find you to be competent to stand trial I am authorized to take a plea you may wish to inter and present that plea too the Court. You are not required to enter a plea at this time and may choose a formal hearing where you may be represented by an attorney to enter that plea. If you choose not to plea today an attorney will be assigned to represent you and discuss the charges with you and your options going forth. If you cannot afford one or do not know an attorney who is able or willing to take your case one will be appointed for you. Do you understand any of this."

"I am charged with killing Peter Pettigrew along with twelve other muggles on the night of October 31, 1981, on a busy street in a neighborhood of Brighton, England. If found guilty I will face a minimum of life imprisonment in this lovely facility, or should the circumstances warrant it I could be subjected to a dementor's kiss, should it be determined I am a threat to escape or may endanger other inmates in this facility. Does that sound about right."

"I am amazed." said the healer in the lab coat. "I don't think I have ever seen any long term inmate in as good a mental shape as you are, Mr. Black. I have one other question. What is today's date?

"Today's date? I think it is around September 1, 1991. As for the other, well, dementors suck all happiness from their victims. I haven't had too many happy thoughts the last ten years and this hell hole isn't apt to generate any new ones now is it." Sirius answered back.

"Yes, warden. I'll sign the statement saying he is competent to stand trial." replied the healer.

"Thank you, Smedwick. You may sign the papers before you leave. You are permitted to stay if you wish to insure his continued mental soundness and Mr. Black agrees as he is technically your patient, if you are willing to take an unbreakable oath not to discuss matters discussed here tonight."

"I'll stay and observe my patient."

"He can stay." Black stated. "the more the merrier."

"Then bring out your wand and take the oath as administered by Number one, here." the warden stated. Smedwick was then sworn in.

He continued, "Sirius Black. Do you know and understand the charges and effect of these charges?"

"Yes." he replied.

"Knowing that you are not required to do so today, do you wish to enter a plea at this time."

"Yes."

"What is that plea?"

"Not Guilty?"

"Your plea is entered. Now Mr. Moody, Professor Snape, and Unspeakable Number One here would like to ask you some questions after a brief explanation of the reason for their visit. Because of the nature of the situation they face you will be required to take an unbreakable oath to keep everything discussed in this meeting secret should you decide to hear or answer their questions. Do you wish to proceed?"

"Harry is involved in this, isn't he?" Black responded.

"Yes, and that is all we are going to say without your oath "replied the Warden. "That is all I know and I had to take an oath to get that much information. I'm also not going to be allowed to stay. That is why you are all trussed up in that chair." With that the warden gathered up his notes and papers regarding the plea and left the room.

Unspeakable Number One applied the security charms as soon as he left the room. She returned to her chair at the far end of the table, administered the oath to Smedwick, and began. "Mr. Black. The Unspeakable Office is in charge of this investigation as the alert came from Professor Snape that forbidden magic is involved and will affect your godson. Do you wish to continue this questioning?"

"Yes. I think Harry is the only thing keeping me sane in here."

Sirius's wand was produced by Kingsley and the oath was administered. The wand was immediately returned and magically sealed in it's container.

"For even so briefly, it felt good to hold it again. Thank you." Sirius said.

"Again, you are not required to answer any questions or do anything asked of you. This is all your free choice, but I have to tell you that anything you say can be used against you in Court. And this meeting is being recorded by Alastor and his marvelous eye." She then proceeded to give a brief summery of the events as relayed by the memories of the sorting to Sirius Black.

"That's a new addition, Alister, I hope whoever required you to obtain that eye paid a hefty price," quipped Black, taking a sidelong glance at the madly spinning eye.

"He won't ever face a dementors' kiss, may his black sole rot in hell." Moody replied.

"Mr. Black, you may not be aware of this, but since your confinement Professor Snape has improved the process by which Veritaserum is made. It is now so reliable that criminal wizarding courts all over the world will except a certified batch of Professor Snape brewed potion as conclusive proof of innocence. We are asking that you be questioned under this potion. Do you agree." continued Unspeakable Number One.

"Yes." Black answered.

"Professor Snape, if you please."

"Ah, so that's why you are here." Sirius commented as Snape retrieved a small vile of clear liquid from an inside cloak pocket.

"Partly." He answered as he rose and walked to where Sirius was seated. With a dropper, he administered three drops of the liquid on Sirius's tongue.

After about ten seconds Black's eyes began to blink at precise intervals and it was clear the drug's effect had taken effect.

"Please state your full name"

"Sirius Orion Black'

"Did you on the night of October 31, 1981, go to a neighborhood in Brighton England?"

"Yes."

"Were you confronted by Peter Pettigrew in that neighborhood?"

"Not exactly. I hunted him down and confronted him."

"Okay, let's back up a bit. Did you know James Potter and Lilly Evans Potter?"

"Yes."

"Were you approach by either of them to become their secret keeper?'

"Yes, by both of them and Albus Dumbledore. He and Fillius Flitwick would cast the charm and after they left I was to take the oath that would settle the charm on me as it had to be completed between the keeper and the ones to be protected."

"Did you then become their secret keeper?"

"No."

"Did you ever become their secret keeper?"

"No."

"You never became their secret keeper!"

"That's right. I never did."

"Can you explain what happened?"

"It will take a while."

"We have just about all of the hour the potion will be effective left. Please go on."

"When Albus and Fillius left I had a talk with James and Lilly and convinced them I was the wrong person to be their secret keeper. I was the high profile Auror and was too exposed. I convinced them that Peter Pettigrew was a better choice. There were three of us the Potters trusted with their life. Remus Lupin was the third. His Lycanthropy made him dangerous one night a month. James, Peter, and I learned to become animagus to help Remus through his transitions. He was not dangerous to us when we transformed and we could control and be his friends in our animal forms. As a result, I thought Peter was the most logical person to be the secret keeper. His job was not high profile. His animal form was a rat and he could transform and slip away easily if things got messy and the secret wouldn't become compromised. He would just be another rat loose in the city until it was safe again."

"You are saying Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper?'

"Yes."

"You are also saying you and Peter and James Potter were animagus?"

"Yes."

"Were you registered as such with the ministry?"

"No, we never told anyone."

"Why not?"

"It would have been the end of our being able to help Rumus and be with him when he was a werewolf."

"How long had you been doing this?"

"Since mid fifth year. It was little Peter Pettigrew that got the best of me that night when I cornered him. He had his wand behind his back. He severed his finger with his wand. I saw the blood fly. And before I could do anything he sent the curse that blew up all those muggles and transformed before it struck. The little rat got the best of me. I wasn't expecting that."

"Madam Bones." the head of the unspeakable team addressed the head of Magical Law Enforcement. "It would be the conclusion of my investigation that charges against Mr. Black are unfounded. What you and the court system do is up to you, but I must make my report within 48 hours and that much of it will be transmitted to the Daily Profit - Public Affairs Office and the Legal Notices section after my report is filed."

"I concur with the Unspeakable Office." answered Madam Bones.

"Wait a darn minute here." Sirius questioned. "Just that fast, I'm cleared?"

"It isn't that fast, especially when the Unspeakable office is concerned, laddie. Don't you remember your training? We are all bound by our oath and I think you are going to be bound by your obligation to your god-son to hear this matter out. Let's get down to the real reason we're out on this hellish rock." Mad-Eye said. "Professor Snape, I think you should begin."

Snape recounted a brief version of the events at the sorting and what the hat found in Harry Potter's head. He concluded by saying, "I haven't had an opportunity to concentrate on the problem, but theoretically it should be possible to waken and anesthetize the horcrux on a delayed basis and as it is forced out of Harry's head by contact with the force of protection Lilly's sacrifice provided we should be able to confine it in a stasis field much like the one that the DADA professor and his master are now contained in. The tricky part is going to be getting the timing right. We also have to worry about getting Harry back safe and sound."

"I'd say that's the first thing to worry about." Sirius pronounced.

"Well, yes, of course. Let's don't quibble over semantics, however. We won't try until Harry has what we feel is the best chance to survive alive and intact. That is one thing we are all hoping you can help us with. We need to know how strong that curse is. We think that, or at least the hat thinks, there are several horcrux out there. We were hoping that, if you were guilty of betraying the Potter's, we could use veritaserum on you to get us a lead on obtaining Voldemort's wand. Alternatively, if you were not involved, we could count on you to be part of the team, after you have had time to fully recover from this vacation spot and update your training to help teach Harry some of the skills necessary to provide him what he'll need to assist in sealing his mind against Voldemort."

"Well, I can't help with the wand, but the three of us became somewhat accomplished at occlumency. We figured we had to do that to keep our secrets from the headmaster and the ministry if we were to help Rumus." Sirius responded.

The unspeakable interrupted. "That would explain one project we have been researching. How did Mr. Lupin maintain a connection with society after he left school. There has been other students that attended Hogwarts under similar circumstances but their adjustment to society after leaving school has been suspect. They always seem to revert to following a pack. Your friendships seems to have provided that need to belong."

"Yes, he did explain that overpowering feeling to us and we were there for him every full moon, or at least two of us were always there with him at his transformations - that is until Peter's little bit of treachery. That was another very unhappy thought as I contemplated life on this 'hellish rock'. The occlumency helped as well, but the dementors are blind and didn't notice me transform. I could always block out better as a dog, and I don't think the dementors could tell I had transformed and they seem to expect that we become less human in here the longer we stay. That's how I coped, anyway."

"Would you be willing to assist if possible to help Harry Potter in any way the professionals ask."

"Helping Harry isn't an issue with me. I don't know the boy and I do know that help with occlumency requires trust. If Professor Snape here is involved trust might be even a greater issue." Sirius responded. "I'm willing to do what I can."

"It seems we have all labored too long with false notions. I would like to hope I have since enough to not let childhood animosities rule my decisions." Snape retorted. "I do wonder about you allowing me to lead this team and work together, to be frank, however. A great deal has gone under the bridge and can't be undone. Your stunt with the Whomping Willow gives me great concern."

"Yah, James was pretty pissed at me about that night. You were being such a git about where Mooney went to every full moon; I thought it would do you some good to find out. Never considered what could have happened. I didn't know you knew how to stop that tree from thrashing intruders. I just thought James and Peter could handle you as they were the two on duty that night. I made like I had a butt load of work left to be turned in while I set up the prank. That one sort of back fired on me. Lilly was livid and James reamed me out good and proper."

"That's a load of bull if I ever heard one. You three thought yourselves superior to everyone and mistake proof!" Snape hissed.

"It's your potion I'm still under, isn't it, so damn good every wizarding court in the world will except a Snape Brewed batch as conclusive proof and all that rot." Black spat.

Snape's ears began to turn pink before he got his emotions under control. "Good point." Kingsley said.

"The other thing is that I think Peter must have been there the night Voldemort tried to kill Harry." Black said. "He knew I would go to Brighten to look for him first. It was a set up when I got there. He had to know I found out about Lilly and James right away. With the time it took me to and Hagrid to put out the fire and such, that gave him just enough time to set his little trap. If he was there in Godrics Hollow he could have made off with the wand when Voldemort fell. If we could entice him to Hogwarts we could catch the little rat."

"You said the magic word - 'rat'. If he's a rat there is no way we can catch every rat on the grounds and make sure it's not Peter." Mad Eye added.

"Oh, there are ways, and I'll be glad to give up another secret to catch the bastard." Sirius answered. "I have my copy of the map salted away and I bet Mooney still has his. After all, it was mostly his invention that made all our pranks so easy. It identifies every person and their location on Hogwarts grounds. When he shows up, we'll have him. But I think we better make sure no one knows I'm out just yet, Madam Bones. It might spoil the surprise for the little rat."

"That's a good theory, Laddie. That was always your best asset. Know what they're thinking and be one step ahead of them." Moody injected.

"Yes, I've had a good bit of time to think about it. Again, not a happy thought." Black replied. "But until now, no one wanted to listen to me."

"Well, what happens to him now?" Smedwick asked.

"We have a spot open in our office." Moody replied. "He can come back to work when he's ready. He does have a good bit of leave accumulated, both sick and vacation. I think a bit of R and R might be in order." Moody added. "Then some retraining to bring him up to speed if he wants to come back. My guess is that Professor Snape has a bit of research and brewing to do here before an attempt can be made."

"Do I have to make a decision tonight?" Sirius asked.

"Well, part of your decision was already made tonight." said the lead unspeakable. "Your oath seems to me to include you in Harry's safety. As this matter is extremely confidential and you are his closest thing to a parent, and you have agreed to taking on that role by getting involved in this investigation, you become a part of the team. I think the government is obligated by their negligence in your case to reinstate your pay and leave for the time you were here and for any time you are involved with this project."

"No problem there." Added Madam Bones. "And I do think I can keep this under raps for awhile to give the plan time to work if the unspeakable office can hold off their transmittal of the dropping of charges against Mr. Black. I also know a judge who can be counted on to keep this quite and under the oath to meet your 48 hour reporting obligation."

"We can do that. Thank you, everyone, especially you Mr. Black." Stated the lead unspeakable. "Madam Bones, let's get this man out of here and back to civilization and properly fed. I'm about ready to blitz the media about conditions here. After seeing what can happen to an innocent man out here it's a disgrace to allow it to continue."


End file.
